An  Historical   Tragedy  in 

Five  Acts 


GOTTHARD   DEUTSCH 


ISRAEL  BRUNA 


An  Historical  Tragedy 
In  Five  Acts 


GOTTHARD  DEUTSCH 


BOSTON 
RICHARD  G.  BADGER 


igo8 


Copyright,  1908,  by  Gotthard  Deutsch 


All  Rights  Reserved 


The  Gotham  Press,  Boston 


PS 


CAST  OF  CHARACTERS 


WERNER    VON     PERINSTEIN,     burgomaster    of 
BRUENN. 

FIRST  COUNCILLOR. 
SECOND  COUNCILLOR. 
PETHAHIAH,  an  elder  of  the  Jews. 
RAPHAEL,  an  elder  of  the  Jews. 
RABBI  ISRAEL  BRUNA. 
FRAIDLIN,  the  rabbi's  wife. 
JEKEL,  the  rabbi's  servant. 
SHIFRAH,  maid  in  the  rabbi's  house. 

MEINHARD  VON  PERINSTEIN,  son  of  the  Burgo 
master,  a  knight. 

JEKUTHIEL,  son  of  PETHAHIAH,  called  Konrad, 
a  convert  to  Christianity. 

JOHN  CAPISTRANO,  a  Franciscan  Friar. 
SCHOLASTICA,  a  nun,  a  former  Jewess. 

An    executioner,    councillors,    judges,     priests, 
}ewTs,  and  people. 

The  place  is  Bruenn.     Time  1454. 


ACT  I 

SCENE  I.     CITY  HALL. 

Burgomaster  Werner  von  Perinstein,  several 
councillors,  two  guards  standing  at  the  door;  later 
Pethahiah. 

Burgomaster. —  Men  of  the  Council,  I  have 
called  you  together  at  this  early  hour  on  very  im 
portant  business.  This  morning  a  message  was 
received  from  the  King  by  special  courier.  His 
Majesty  wishes  us  to  give  a  hearty  reception  to 
brother  Capistrano,  who,  the  King  says,  has  been 
gifted  with  miraculous  powers,  and  who,  the  King 
says,  is  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  Providence, 
to  stamp  out  this  heresy  which  has  already  disgraced 
his  Majesty's  dominions  too  long. 

FIRST  COUNCILLOR. —  We  certainly  ought  to  do 
our  gracious  Lord's  wishes,  all  the  more  so  because 
we  will  be  honoring  a  great  Saint  whose  presence 
will  be  a  blessing  to  our  city. 

SECOND  COUNCILLOR. —  A  blessing  which  will 
result  in  a  bloody  civil  war. 

FIRST  COUN. —  Not  if  we  stand  united  and  have 
the  support  of  the  Saint's  prayers. 

SECOND  COUN. —  His  prayer  has  not  kept  the 
Hussites  from  burning  the  city  hall  of  Neustadt, 
when  the  council  refused  to  expel  that  Italian 
trouble  maker. 

(Shouts.)  —  Bar  the  gates  against  the  Welcher! 


6  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

BURG. —  Peace,  gentlemen!  He  comes  with  the 
King's  safe  conduct,  and  we  cannot  refuse  him  ad 
mittance  without  incurring  the  ill-will  of  his 
Majesty,  who  has  once  before  expressed  his  dislike 
of  the  city's  attitude  in  an  internal  complication. 

SECOND  COUN. —  His  Majesty  is  in  the  hands  of 
fanatics  who  din  malicious  lies  into  his  ears. 

FIRST  COUN. —  This  means  that  they  report  truly 
when  they  say  that  in  the  council  of  this  city  men 
are  sitting  who  still  nourish  in  their  hearts  a  venera 
tion  for  that  arch-heretic,  John  Huss,  whom  the 
holy  Council,  with  the  approval  of  King  Sigismund, 
of  blessed  memory,  ordered  to  be  burned  at  the 
stake  as  an  enemy  of  our  holy  religion  and  as  a 
rebel  against  the  sacred  person  of  our  King. 

SECOND  COUN. —  John  Huss  was  a  saintly  man. 
I  was  in  Constance  as  a  page  to  my  Lord  of  Rokit- 
zan,  and  I  saw  Huss  smile  as  he  was  led  out  to  the 
stake,  and  I  saw  him  kneel  down  in  prayer,  praying 
that  the  Lord  Would  forgive  those  who  had  sen 
tenced  him  to  die.  I  would  like  to  see  how  that 
Italian  fiend  would  act,  were  he  placed  at  the 
stake,  for  that  is  where  he  ought  to  go. 

(Shouts.) — Burn  him!  Stone  him!  Huss  was  a 
Saint! 

(Shouts  from  the  other  side). —  He  was  a  rebel 
and  an  infidel.  Through  him  we  have  been  living 
in  a  state  of  War  for  forty  years. 

(Shouts  from  the  first  side). —  Because  you  have 
been  persecuting  God's  chosen  ones. 

BURGOMASTER. —  Peace,  gentlemen!  It  will  not 
do  for  us  to  quarrel  on  a  question  which  the  masters 
of  holy  lore  have  net  been  able  to  settle.  The 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  7 

question  which  confronts  us  is  what  we  shall  do 
with  regard  to  the  King's  letter. 

SECOND  COUN. —  Give  that  monk  three  days  to 
stay  here,  and  in  the  meantime  the  city  guards  shall 
watch  him,  lest  he  do  mischief. 

FIRST  COUN. —  Let  the  Burgomaster,  the  Council, 
the  heads  of  the  guilds,  and  the  clergy  with  the 
school  children  meet  him  at  the  city  boundary  line. 
Let  the  bells  be  tolled  from  the  time  he  enters  the 
gates  until  he  reaches  the  cathedral  where  a 
"  Te  Deum  "  shall  be  chanted  in  praise  of  the  Lord 
for  sending  this  Saint  to  our  gates. 

(Shouts.) —  Cathedral  ?  To  the  whipping  post 
with  the  murderer  and  incendiary! 

(Shouts  from  the  other  side). —  To  the  whipping 
post  with  you  rebels  and  heretics! 

BURG. —  Peace,  gentlemen,  do  not  forget  where 
you  are.  How  do  you  expect  to  control  a  riotous 
mob  when  you,  the  guardians  of  the  city's  peace, 
are  rioting  yourselves.  The  Italian  comes  with  a 
safe-conduct  under  the  King's  seal  and  handwriting. 
Any  stranger  who  shows  such  letters  is  under  the 
protection  of  the  city,  and  if  we  allow  harm  to  befall 
him  we  are  rebels  against  his  Majesty. 

SECOND  COUN. —  And  if  he  make  himself  un 
worthy  of  our  hospitable  kindness  by  inciting  riots 
in  our  midst  ? 

BURG. —  That  is  just  the  point.  He  comes  with 
the  King's  safe  conduct,  and  is  our  guest,  but  when 
he  sets  the  citizens,  one  against  the  other,  he  has 
forfeited  our  good  will  and  we  shall  send  him 
beyond  the  city  limits  under  the  protection  of  the 
city  guards.  But  it  is  our  duty  to  protect  him 
against  malefactors  while  he  is  in  our  midst. 


8  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

SECOND  COUN. —  Let  him  keep  the  peace  and  he 
shall  not  be  molested. 

FIRST  COUN. —  It  is  his  mission  to  lead  the  lost 
sheep  to  the  fold  from  which  they  have  strayed. 

BURG. —  When  a  strange  physician  comes  to  our 
city  he  is  allowed  to  do  his  business.  If,  however, 
I  find  that  he  is  selling  poisonous  pills  I  shall 
order  him  to  be  thrown  into  prison  though  he  have 
a  safe-conduct  from  the  Roman  Emperor  and  a 
diploma  from  the  Pope  himself.  Yes,  I  would 
do  it,  as  sure  as  my  name  is  Werner  von  Perinstein. 

FIRST  COUN. —  But  it  is  against  the  poisoners  of 
the  soul  that  he  is  waging  war. 

SECOND  COUN. — We  need  no  Welcher  to  take  care 
of  our  souls.  He  has  plenty  of  profligates  and 
assassins  at  home  to  care  for. 

(Shouts.) — Send  him  back  to  Welcherland! 
Send  him  back  to  Italy! 

BURG. —  Indeed,  for  the  care  of  our  souls  we 
have  our  own  priest.  We,  Burgomaster  and  Coun 
cil,  are  the  guardians  of  the  city's  peace  and  every 
body  shall  enjoy  this  peace  as  long  as  he  allows 
others  to  do  so.  What  does  it  concern  the  city 
if  one  march  behind  a  flag  with  a  chalice  painted 
on  it  ?  No  more  than  when  the  piper's  guild 
marches  behind  St.  Cecelia's  banner,  which  does  not 
always  inspire  as  decent  conduct  as  is  found 
among  those  who  follow  the  chalice. 

FIRST  COUN. — And  —  so  Turks  and  pagans  and 
even  Jews  shall  have  their  freedom  just  as  we  have 
it? 

BURG. —  Most  certainly;  and  I  am  glad  you 
mentioned  it.  We  have  no  Turks  or  pagans  in  our 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  9 

midst,  but  the  Jews,  whom  your  Saint  particularly 
delights  in  assailing,  shall  be  protected,  for  they  are 
in  the  King's  peace,  and  the  city  is  responsible  for 
them;  and  woe  unto  the  man,  whether  he  wear 
robe  or  cassock,  who  shall  dare  to  trouble  them. 

FIRST  COUN. —  There  may  be  others  who  wear 
neither  a  robe  nor  a  cassock,  but  a  knight's  armor, 
and  who  are,  moreover,  highly  connected,  who 
may  wish  brother  John  success  in  his  arraignment 
of  the  Jews  and  their  usury.  It  might  be  an  easy 
way  for  them  to  settle  their  debts. 

BURG,  (rising  angrily  in  his  chair). —  Will  you 
explain  yourself  more  clearly  ? 

FIRST  COUN. —  Your  Worship  need  not  get 
excited.  An  inquiry  amongst  your  nearest  of  kin 
might  reveal  the  fact  that  there  may  be  some  who 
wish  that  Brother  John  should  have  success  in 
making  the  Jews  disgorge  some  of  their  ill-gotten 
gain. 

BURG,  (angrily  striking  the  table). —  If  you  wish 
to  say  that  I  shall  allow  pillaging  in  order  that  my 
boy  may  get  rid  of  his  debts  to  the  Jews,  I  want  you  to 
say  it  here,  in  unmistakably  clear  words,  and  if  you 
do  so  I  shall  pronounce  you  in  this  council  chamber 
a  malicious  slanderer,  unless  you  can  prove  your 
statement;  outside  of  this  room,  the  sword  of  a 
gentleman  shall  vindicate  my  honor. 

(Shouts.) — Backbiter!     Hypocrite!     Pharisee!! 

FIRST  COUN. —  I  most  sincerely  apologize  to 
your  Worship,  and  if  you  consider  my  words  coolly, 
you  will  find  that  I  have  not  said  what  you  imply. 
I  merely  said  that  there  may  be  some,  and  if  you 
wish,  your  own  son  amongst  them,  who  will  not 


io  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

mind  seeing  the  Jewish  chests  disgorge.  Such 
things  have  happened  before,  and  if  you  ask  Master 
Dietrich,  our  city  clerk,  he  will  show  you  that  they 
happened  in  this  very  city  one  hundred  years  ago. 

BURG,  (sitting  down  calmly). —  And  just  because 
it  has  happened  before  it  shall  not  happen  again. 
I  know  the  story  well  enough.  It  was  during  the 
terrible  visitation  of  the  black  death,  when  the 
rabble  was  unrestrained,  and  very  likely  some 
questionable  saints  and  unscrupulous  demagogues 
(murmur  of  applause}  were  their  leaders.  The 
result  was  that  the  rabble  celebrated  its  orgies  and 
grewa  terror  to  the  respectable  community,  while  the 
demagogues  enriched  themselves  with  the  plunder, 
and  the  city  was  heavily  mulcted  by  the  King. 
When  the  Jews  came  back  they  charged  higher 
interest  than  ever  before. 

FIRST  COUN.  (looking  out  of  the  window). —  Your 
Worship  will  have  an  opportunity  to  show  your  good 
will  to  these  innocent  victims  of  demagogues,  for 
I  see  that  old  vampire,  Pethahiah,  the  Jew-Bishop, 
entering  the  city  hall. 

A  COUN. —  This  would  be  a  fine  opportunity  to 
squeeze  some  of  his  shekels  out  of  him  by  screwing 
his  thumbs  just  a  little  bit.  (Laughter.) 

SECOND  COUN. —  You  come  one  hundred  years 
too  late,  brother. 

BURG. —  I  repeat  that  order  shall  be  preserved 
as  long  as  I  wield  the  mace  of  this  city. 

SCENE  II 

(Enter  PETHAHIAH,  bowing  to  all  sides.) 
PETHAHIAH. —  Your  Worship,  most  exalted  head 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  11 

of  this  noble  city,  and  you,  Councillors,  whose  wis 
dom  and  self-sacrificing  care  have  preserved  law 
and  order  under  the  most  trying  conditions.  Let 
one  who  is  unworthy  to  kiss  the  dust  of  your  shoes 
be  bold  enough  — 

BURG. —  Be  less  courteous,  Jew,  and  keep  to  the 
point. 

SECOND  COUN. —  You  keep  one  half  of  your 
speech  and  let  us  Christians  keep  one  half  of  the 
interest  which  you  charge  us. 

FIRST  COUN. —  That  speech  is  too  good.  I  want 
all  of  it.  I  would  rather  have  it  than  all  his  money. 
Try  me,  Uncle  Pethahiah.  Just  make  an  offer. 

PETH. —  The  noble  gentlemen  are  so  good  to  a 
poor  Jew. 

FIRST  COUN. —  Poor  Jew!  Who  ever  heard  of 
such  a  combination. 

PETH. —  Most  worshipful  and  honorable  gentle 
men  of  the  Council.  If  you  would  condescend  to 
listen  to  what  a  man  has  to  say,  to  whom  the  honor, 
the  welfare,  and  the  glory  of  this  beautiful  city,  ruled 
over  by  a  statesman,  the  like  of  whom 

BURG. —  Quick,  Jew,  do  not  waste  our  time. 

PETH. —  Far  be  it  from  me  to  be  guilty  of  such  an 
offense  against  the  interests  not  only  of  this  city,  but 
also  of  the  whole  land,  not  only  at  this  time,  but 
also  in  the  future.  I  have  heard  that  you  will 
have  a  noble  and  great  guest  within  your  gates,  a 
man  who,  amongst  you,  is  a  Saint. 

SECOND  COUN. —  Don't  be  such  a  hypocrite, 
Pethahiah;  say  that  you  hate  him  as  much  as  you 
hate  the  sight  of  a  cross. 

PETH. —  Far  be  it  from  me  to  hate  one  whom 


12  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

my  glorious  rulers  honor  and  revere.  I  have  al 
ways  been  obedient  to  the  King  and  to  his  servants, 
for  that  is  the  law  of  my  religion,  and  I  would  never 
countenance  any  movement  which  is  directed 
against  the  sacred  authority  of  his  glorious  Majesty, 
our  most  gracious  King  Ladislaus,  may  his  glory 
increase  forever. 

SECOND  COUN. —  Confess  it,  Pethahiah,  did 
you  not  lend  money  to  George  of  Podiebrad,  who 
seeks  to  place  himself  on  our  King's  throne  ? 

PETH. —  Who  said  so  ?  If  this  be  so,  may  the 
earth  swallow  me  up,  as  it  swallowed  Korah, 
Dathan,  and  Abiram !  May  the  leprosy  of  Naaman 
and  Gehazi  befall  me.  May  my  arms  be  lame  as 
the  arms  of  Jeroboam,  when  he  desired  to  seize  the 
prophet.  May  fire  from  heaven  fall  down  upon  me, 
such  as  Elijah  called  down  upon  the  captain  and  his 
band  of  fifty.  May  my  own  flesh  and  blood  serve 
idols 

SECOND  COUN. —  This  time  you  speak  the  truth, 
because  your  son,  who  has  become  a  Christian,  is 
certainly  an  idol-worshiper  in  your  eyes. 

BURG. —  Gentlemen,  we  shall  never  get  through 
if  we  open  the  sluices  of  his  loquacity.  Pethahiah, 
state  at  once  what  you  wish,  or  you  shall  be  sent  out 
of  this  hall. 

PETH. —  I  shall  say  it  at  once.  (To  BURGOMAS 
TER,  who  gives  beadle  a  sign.)  No,  no,  your 
Worship,  may  it  please  you  to  tarry  a  moment, 
I  am  saying  it  already.  I  wish  to  give  the  city  the 
sum  of  one  hundred  Schock  Groschen,  as  a  tribute 
of  respect  for  the  guest,  whom  the  King  has 
honored  so  greatly  in  order  that  the  city  shall  be 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  13 

able  to  do  him  that  honor  which  he  so  richly  de 
serves,  and  he  shall  see  that,  while  I  am  only  a  Jew, 
and  not  a  rich  one 

FIRST  COUN. —  Do  you  wish  to  go  to  the  poor- 
house  ?  If  you  turn  a  Christian  you  shall  have  the 
best  room  in  the  place  to-morrow. 

PETH. —  Honorable  gentlemen,  you  laugh,  but 
the  times  are  very  hard.  Were  it  not  that  I  know 
that  the  monk  is  so  honored  by  the  King 

BURG. —  You  want  to  buy  his  favor  ?  If  you  are 
afraid  that  he  will  set  the  mob  against  you,  be  quiet, 
and  tell  your  people  that  I,  Werner  von  Perinstein, 
will  not  allow  any  violence  against  anybody. 

PETH. —  Your  Worship  is  wise  as  King  Solomon, 
and  good  as  Obadiah,  the  steward  of  King  Ahab, 
but  I  shall  send  the  one  hundred  shock  to  the  holy 
man  myself  to  show  him  that  Pethahiah 

SECOND  COUN. —  Podiebrad  will  have  to  pay 
more  interest  next  time  for  this  loss. 

PETH. —  A  rebel!  I  lend  money  to  a  rebel  ?  not 
for  five  hundred  per  cent.  You  will  see  when  you 
become  a  rebel,  and  you  try. 

FIRST  COUN. —  You  are  a  shrewd  old  fellow. 

PETH. —  My  business  is  always  with  good  honest 
people  and  faithful  servants  of  the  King.  At 
your  service,  most  worshipful  gentlemen.  May 
you  live  and  prosper.  As  the  sages  say,  "  Misse 
Meshunah."* 


*  A  Hebrew  oath. 


ACT  II 

SCENE  I.  THE  RABBI'S  STUDY.  PETHAHIAH, 
RABBI. 

PETHAHIAH. —  I  repeat  it  to  you,  the  thing  will 
have  a  bad  ending.  Our  young  men  were  seen  in 
the  procession  with  the  Hussites,  the  rebels  against 
the  King's  majesty.  Such  stories  are  apt  to  be 
exaggerated.  I  have  heard  rumors  already  that 
our  enemies  had  informed  the  King  that  we  had 
assisted  the  rebels  with  money.  This  would  mean 
disaster. 

RABBI  (smiling}. —  Hardly  to  the  young  people 
who  love  to  see  a  gay  pageant  and  to  hear  music,  for 
no  one  would  accuse  them  of  having  money  to  lend. 

PETH. —  It  is  always  the  respectable  and  the 
loyal  who  have  to  make  atonement  for  the  levity  of 
the  penniless  rabble. 

RABBI. —  If  you  are  free  from  guilt  you  can  take 
an  oath.  Our  laws,  confirmed  by  kings  and  em 
perors  for  centuries,  give  us  the  right  to  prove  our 
innocence  of  any  charge  by  swearing  on  the  Torah. 

PETH.  (uneasily}. —  Swear  by  the  Torah  ?  I  — 
would  rather  lose  a  fortune. 

RABBI. —  But  if  you  have  to,  in  order  to  save 
your  life  ?  To  assist  the  King's  enemies  with  money 
is  high  treason. 

PETH. —  This  is  what  I  said  when  the  young  peo 
ple  went  to  witness  the  procession.  The  King  will 
be  provoked  to  anger,  and  these  boys  forget  the 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  15 

warning  of  Solomon:  "  Fear  God,  my  son,  and  the 
King." 

RABBI. —  There  is  another'  word  of  wisdom. 
It  reads:  "Woe  unto  the  land  whose  King  is  a  lad." 
If  we  try  to  please  the  King  too  much,  we  shall 
provoke  his  uncle,  Emperor  Frederick,  who 
strongly  disapproves  of  the  persecution  of  people 
for  religious  motives,  and  he  is  our  friend,  as  he  has 
proven  repeatedly,  and  finally,  neither  he  nor  the 
King  are  really  the  rulers.  The  man  who  is  the 
king  in  truth,  although  he  is  not  on  the  throne,  is 
George  Podiebrad,  the  leader  of  the  Hussites. 

PETH. —  He  is  an  arch-rebel.  Curse  to  those  who 
aid  him.  We  Jews  must  be  loyal.  Fear  the  Lord 
and  the  King. 

RABBI. —  Don't  get  so  excited  in  protesting  your 
loyalty.  You  waste  it  in  the  wrong  place,  and  if 
they  want  your  money,  they  won't  ask  many  ques 
tions  about  your  politics. 

PETH. —  But  those  boys,  with  their  temerity, 
conjure  up  the  fate.  "  Don't  open  the  mouth  of  the 
evil  one."  They  ought  to  be  excommunicated. 

RABBI. —  We  have  no  more  right  to  punish  the 
innocent  than  to  let  the  wicked  go  unpunished. 
And  what  power  is  there  in  our  discipline  ?  You 
ought  to  know  best  ?  Did  you  not  obtain  from 
the  emperor  a  privilege  that  no  rabbi  should  have 
the  right  to  pronounce  a  ban  against  you  ? 

PETH. —  Because  Rabbi  Shalom  of  Neustadt, 
your  own  teacher,  persecuted  me. 

RABBI. —  My  teacher,  of  blessed  memory,  was  a 
man  who  feared  God  and  no  man.  You  know 
what  our  sages  predict  for  him  who  slanders  the 
righteous  in  their  graves. 


16  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

PETH.  (frightened). —  I  did  not,  God  forbid! 
May  he  pray  for  me  in  the  world  of  truth!  But  he 
allowed  himself  to  be  deceived  by  my  rivals  in 
business,  to  pronounce  that  excommunication,  and 
I  had  no  other  resource  except  imploring  the  aid 
of  the  Emperor. 

RABBI. —  You  see  how  little  such  a  ban  means. 
Why  should  I  destroy  its  force  by  pronouncing  it 
upon  young  people  for  innocent  curiosity. 

PETH. —  But  you  might  preach  to  them,  and 
threaten  them  with  excommunication  if  they  per 
sist  in  showing  sympathy  with  the  rebels. 

RABBI. —  Can  I  reproach  them  for  exhibiting  a 
noble  trait  of  character  ?  The  Hussites  are  fighting 
for  liberty  of  conscience.  We  cannot  fight  for  it, 
but  we  must  hope  for  victory. 

PETH. —  Liberty  of  conscience!  A  bad  word! 
It  covers  all  sorts  of  license  and  it  is  responsible 
for  the  fact  that  our  young  people  are  looking  with 
gluttonous  eyes  upon  the  tournaments,  and  are  be 
ginning  to  despise  the  customs  of  the  fathers. 
Indeed,  young  Shealtiel  was  caught  practising 
fencing  at  Juergen  Trautenberger's  house. 

RABBI. —  And  what  of  it  ? 

PETH. —  And  what  of  it,  you  say  ?  Should  we 
wait  until  he  eats  and  drinks  at  their  feasts  and 
worships  their  God  ?  .  .  . 

RABBI. —  Before  you  condemn  him  ?  Most  cer 
tainly  yes.  I  saw  God-fearing  and  learned  young 
men  in  Italy  practice  fencing,  and  I  saw  good 
mothers  in  Israel  play  the  guitar. 

PETH. —  I  feared  these  pernicious  doctrines,  and 
warned  the  men  of  our  community  when  they  called 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  17 

you  here.  But  they  said  that  Rabbi  Shalom  would 
not  have  married  his  daughter  to  one  who  was  of 
doubtful  piety. 

RABBI. —  It  was  good  that  you  held  him  in  such 
high  esteem,  or  else  you  might  have  been  accused 
of  bearing  him  a  grudge  for  having  excommunicated 
you;  and  some  go  even  so  far  as  to  say  that  you 
approached  the  governor  to  have  him  veto  my 
appointment. 

PETH. —  They  are  my  enemies  because  I  have 
won  the  confidence  of  the  nobles  through  upright 
dealing  and  have  succeeded  in  laying  by  a  small 
amount  for  an  evil  day,  and  more  so,  because  I  insist 
that  the  young  shall  not  leave  the  ways  of  the 
fathers;  therefore  I  beseech  you  again,  Rabbi,  let 
their  sins  not  go  unpunished.  Don't  spare  the  rod! 

RABBI. —  I  do  not  wish  to  wound  you,  Pethahiah, 
but  you  know  from  experience  with  your  own  flesh 
that  it  is  not  always  good  to  use  the  rod.  Leave  it 
to  me.  I  must  answer  before  God  and  men. 

SCENE  II 
Enter  FRAIDLIN  (excited}. 

FRAIDLIN. —  Woe!    Woe  unto  us! 

RABBI. —  What  troubles  thee,  my  beloved  ? 

FRAID. —  I  tremble.     I  fear  an  evil  day. 

RABBI. —  Calm  thyself,  dear.  We  are  in  God's 
hands. 

PETH. —  Did  they  break  into  any  house  ? 

RABBI. —  Your  loyalty  does  not  seem  to  inspire 
you  with  confidence.  (To  FRAID.)  But  tell  us. 

FRAID. —  Many  strange  folks  have  come  into  the 


i8  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

town,  all  heavily  armed  and  fierce  looking.  The 
streets  are  swarming  with  peasants,  from  miles 
around,  all  wish  to  hear  their  great  Saint,  who,  they 
say,  is  working  many  miracles.  They  are  telling 
stories  that  an  image  of  the  mother  of  their  God,  in 
the  convent  outside  of  the  gates,  has  been  shedding 
tears,  and  one  knight,  who  always  has  his  beaver 
lowered,  is  haranguing  the  multitude,  telling  them 
that  King  Ladislaus'  life  is  in  danger  from  plots 
made  by  his  uncle,  the  Emperor,  who  has  been 
bought  by  the  Jews;  and  from  the  Hussites,  who 
wish  to  make  all  Christians  Jews. 

PETH.  (trembling). —  Did  I  not  foresee  it  ? 

RABBI. —  Calm  yourself.  Is  this  news  to  you  ? 
Don't  we  hear  it  every  spring  ?  Don't  we  pray 
every  night, "  Lord,  how  many  are  my  enemies  r  " 

PETH. —  But  this  time  it  is  serious.  Rabbi, 
Rabbi,  rebuke  the  young  rebels.  Denounce  them 
to  the  King's  castellan. 

(RABBI  shakes  his  head.) 

FRAID. —  To  me  it  looks  like  those  troublous  days 
at  home,  when  I  was  yet  a  child.  You  remember 
when  they  burned  thirty-four  in  the  market  square. 

RABBI. —  "  Even  though  I  walk  through  the  Val 
ley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death,  I  fear  no  evil." 

SCENE  III 

(JEKEL  enters  hastily.) 

JEKEL. —  Rabbi,  it  is  high  time  that  the  Messiah 
should  come;  indeed,  I  believe  he  is  on  his  way. 

RABBI. —  If  you  will  foretell  it  without  condi 
tions,  I  shall  fain  believe  it. 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  19 

PETH.—  Why  ? 

RABBI. —  Because  after  the  destruction  of  the 
holy  temple,  the  Talmud  teaches,  the  gift  of  pro 
phecy  was  taken  from  the  wise  and  given  to  the 
simple  ? 

JEKEL. —  When  the  new  temple  shall  be  built, 
do  you  think  they  will  make  me  a  prophet  ? 

PETH. —  What  do  you  want  such  an  uncertain 
job  for  ?  I  shall  make  you  my  housekeeper  and 
give  you  two  rooms  and  one  florin  in  gold  every 
month. 

JEKEL. —  One  florin  in  gold  ?     Do  you  mean  it  ? 

PETH. —  Indeed  I  do.  I  shall  make  a  written 
contract.  Call  Daniel,  the  scribe. 

RABBI. —  Do  not  mock  at  the  poor  fellow,  Petha- 
hiah.  (To  JEKEL.)  Tell  us  why  thou  believest 
that  the  Messiah  is  on  his  way. 

JEKEL. —  Because  the  gentiles  must  have  seen 
him.  A  lot  of  boys  just  asked  me  if  I  had  seen  him, 
and  when  I  said  no,  they  jostled  me  and  one  of  them 
struck  me  across  the  face  with  his  whip,  saying  I 
must  have  surely  seen  the  Messiah's  donkey,  and 
that  if  the  Messiah  should  not  be  in  town  to-night, 
\ve  Jews,  all  of  us,  would  have  a  bad  time,  and  they 
mentioned  you,  Pethahiah,  particularly. 

PETH. —  What  did  they  say  ? 

JEKEL. —  Hans,  the  harness  maker,  said  he  had 
promised  his  sweetheart  a  silk  belt  with  a  silver 
buckle,  and  he  knew  he  would  find  one  at  your 
house  just  exactly  to  suit  her. 

PETH  —  The  harnessmaker,  you  say?  I  shall 
have  him  arrested  for  his  debt.  But  Rabbi,  the 
times  are  bad. 


20  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

RABBI. —  Indeed;  may  God  protect  us! 

PETH. —  Shall  we  not  protect  ourselves  ?  Let 
Jekel  call  all  the  people  to  the  synagogue  early 
to-night  so  that  everybody  shall  be  in  his  house  by 
nightfall,  and  let  all  the  doors  be  locked  and 
bolted. 

RABBI. —  This  is  the  night  which  is  guarded  by 
the  Almighty.  My  door  shall  remain  open  so 
that  it  shall  not  be  a  mere  mockery  when  I  say, 
"  Let  him  who  is  hungry  come  and  feast."  What 
dost  thou  think,  my  beloved  ? 

FRAID. —  I  shall  do  as  thou  sayest.  But  why 
should  I  conceal  it  ?  I  am  greatly  disturbed.  I 
have  lived  through  such  an  experience  before  in 
my  father's  house  when  a  horde  of  drunken  fiends 
burst  into  our  room;  and  had  it  not  been  for  a 
priest,  who  covered  us  with  his  body,  holding  their 
sacred  image  before  him,  I  could  not  tell  the  story 
now. 

RABBI. —  Thou  hast  told  me  thy  experience;  I 
shall  tell  you  mine.  I  was  hungry  and  shivering 
when  I  arrived  in  Padua.  The  Adige  was  swollen 
from  the  spring  floods  and  I  had  to  wait  for  three 
days  before  a  boatman  would  take  me  over,  and  so 
I  arrived  in  Padua  on  Passover  eve.  People  had 
left  the  synagogue  and  the  streets  were  deserted. 
I  stood  aghast,  not  knowing  where  to  turn.  I 
could  not  speak  Italian,  and  even  my  Hebrew  they 
would  hardly  understand.  Then  I  beheld  a  house 
next  to  the  synagogue,  the  windows  up,  a  venerable- 
looking  man  sitting  at  the  head  of  the  table,  and  as 
the  doors  were  wide  open  I  entered,  saying  the 
words  of  the  Haggadah,  "  He  who  is  hungry  may 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  21 

come  and  feast."  I  was  received  without  a  word 
of  questioning,  and  my  God  had  brought  me  to  the 
house  of  Rabbi  Malkiel,  my  sainted  teacher,  to 
whom  I  owe  so  much.  Wouldst  thou  turn  away 
a  footsore  wanderer,  were  he  to  come  to-night  ? 

FRAID. —  I  shall  welcome  him  and  praise  God 
for  having  granted  me  the  joy  of  doing  His  will. 

RABBI. —  God  bless  thee.  God  bless  thee!  I 
knew  it.  And  you,  Pethahiah,  cheer  up,  the  Holy 
Spirit  does  not  rest  upon  a  man  who  is  of  downcast 
heart.  Cheer  up  the  poor  by  rich  gifts,  as  you  have 
been  blessed. 

JEKEL. —  And  don't  forget  your  promise  if  the 
Messiah  should  come  to-night.  He  will  come, 
won't  he,  Rabbi  ? 

RABBI. —  If  it  is  in  God's  time,  he  will. 

SCENE  IV 

Seder  at  the  RABBI'S  house.  RABBI,  RABBI'S 
wife,  JEKEL,  SHIFRAH,  and  two  students. 

RABBI  (reading}. —  "This  year  servants,  next 
year  free  men."  Oh,  that  our  longings  may  be 
realized! 

JEKEL. —  When  we  shall  be  free  men  in  the  land 
of  our  fathers,  will  I  be  permitted  to  pick  berries 
in  the  woods  and  to  fish  at  the  lake  like  the  Chris 
tians  ? 

RABBI. —  Yes,  and  all  other  things  which  are  the 
privilege  of  people  who  are  their  own  masters. 

JEKEL.— Well,  it  is  about  time.  Yesterday,  while 
I  was  fishing  and  a  nice  trout  was  just  ready  to 
bite,  some  boys  kicked  me  into  the  water,  saying  that 


22  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

I  should  wash  off  the  old  Adam.  I  told  them  that  I 
had  none,  and  for  the  holydays  I  would  get  a  new 
waistcoat. 

RABBI. —  Poor  fool,  whose  whole  idea  of  freedom 
is  to  pick  berries  like  our  forefathers,  who  would 
submit  to  any  oppression  so  long  as  they  had 
meat  and  fish. 

SHIFRAH. —  When  the  Messiah  shall  come,  will 
the  Jews  be  allowed  to  marry  just  like  the  Chris 
tians  without  any  permit  from  the  governor  ? 

RABBI. —  This  is  thine  idea  of  freedom !  Foolish 
creature!  The  women  of  Israel  in  Egypt,  for 
whose  sake  our  forefathers  were  delivered  from 
bondage,  had  no  thought  of  advantages  for  them 
selves.  They  were  content  to  suffer,  as  long  as  they 
could  inspire  their  children  with  the  belief  in  God's 
promise  that  one  day  the  whole  nation  would  be 
free,  and  not  their  nation  alone,  but  all  the  world 
would  break  the  shackles  of  oppression. 

(A  knock  is  heard  at  the  door.     All  are  startled.} 

RABBI  (calmly}. —  Is  the  door  locked  ?  Have 
you  so  little  confidence  in  divine  protection,  which 
is  mightier  than  lock  and  bar  ? 

SHIFRAH. —  Forgive,  Rabbi.  I  bolted  the  door 
because  Golda,  the  servant  in  Pethahiah's  house, 
told  me  that  everybody  did  so. 

RABBI. —  Those  who  plot  evil  against  us  will  not 
be  detained  by  a  barred  door.  Go  and  open! 

SHIFRAH. —  I,  Rabbi   .    .    .   I  am  a  woman. 

JEKEL. —  Take  thy  torch  with  thee  and  nobody 
will  carry  thee  away. 

RABBI. —  Why  not  go  thyself,  Jekel  ?  God 
guards  the  simple. 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  23 

JEKEL. —  It  may  be  the  city  guards  who  want  me 
because  I  fished  this  morning. 

RABBI. —  Who  told  thee  ?  May  it  not  be  the 
prophet  Elijah  ?  And  he  who  gives  him  the  first 
welcome  will  receive  the  key  to  King  Solomon's 
treasure  and  take  with  him  as  much  as  he  can  carry. 
(JEKEL  runs.) 

RABBI. —  Israel,  my  people!  They  would  not 
raise  an  arm  to  fight  for  liberty,  but  they  would 
risk  their  lives  for  the  sake  of  a  piece  of  jewelry. 

JEKEL  (returns  trembling). —  There  are  two 
armed  knights  outside  who  ask  your  permission  to 
enter. 

RABBI. —  If  they  ask  permission  when  they  can 
command,  let  them  enter. 

FRAID. —  They  may  be  highwaymen. 

SHIFRAH. —  They  are  armed,  O  God! 

RABBI. —  This  is  the  night  which  is  guarded 
against  evil,  and  have  We  not  said,  "  Every  one  who 
is  in  want,  let  him  come  and  feast  with  us  ? "  I  shall 
make  good  my  word.  (Starts  for  the  door.) 

JEKEL  (running). —  Perhaps  it  is  Elijah  in  dis 
guise  and  he  carries  Solomon's  key.  I  will  go. 

SCENE  V 
MEINHARD  and  JEKUTHIEL  enter. 

"  Blessed  are  they  who  are  gathered  to  do  the 
will  of  our  God." 

RABBI. —  Your  God  ? 

JEKUTHIEL. —  Our  God  and  the  God  of  our 
fathers.  We  implore  your  kindness  for  this  night, 
when  we  crave  to  take  part  in  the  sacred  feast 
which  has  been  so  long  denied  to  us. 


24  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

RABBI. —  Fraidlin,  my  beloved,  thy  wish  has  now 
been  fulfilled.  The  wanderers  to  whom  thou  hast 
promised  to  open  the  door  have  come. 

FRAID.  (agitated}. —  Will  the  strangers  not 
begin  the  Hagadah*  again  ?  We  shall  wait  until 
they  can  join  us. 

JEK. —  We  shall  join  you  at  once.  I  am  not  very 
learned  and  my  friend  is  still  less  acquainted  with 
Jewish  law  and  practice.  Both  of  us  are  of  Ma- 
ranno  descent.  My  friend  is  from  the  north  of 
Spain,  and  I  from  Toledo.  In  that  large  city  I  had 
better  opportunities  than  he  had  to  acquire  some 
knowledge  of  Judaism,  although  both  my  father  and 
mother  had  been  raised  as  Christians.  From 
my  childhood  on  it  was  my  desire  to  profess  openly 
the  God  of  Israel,  and  my  wish  was  near  fulfillment 
when  I  came  to  Padua,  where  the  great  rabbi, 

Malkiel 

RABBI. —  Malkiel,  my  sainted  teacher! 
JEKUTH. —  You  knew  him  ?  Then,  the  bless 
ing  of  that  saint,  who  in  parting  told  me 
that  the  Lord  would  guide  my  steps,  has  become 
true.  He  said  it  to  me  when  in  despair  I  had 
almost  resolved  to  take  my  own  life.  I  had  lost 
faith  in  my  destiny,  for  the  Jews  of  Padua,  those 
who  ought  to  have  assisted  me  in  returning  to  the 
faith  of  my  fathers,  informed  against  me,  to  the 
Inquisition.  Oh,  when  I  remember  the  terrible 

moment 

FRAID. —  Take  a  cup  of  wine  and   speak  the 
benediction. 

RABBI. —  Let  him  finish  his  story;  it  will  give  him 
relief,  and  to  us  it  will  be  an  inspiring  lesson. 
*  Ritual  for  Passover  Eve. 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  25 

JEKEL. —  The  Christian  boys  never  kicked  you 
into  the  water  when  you  went  fishing  in  the  mill- 
pond,  Sir  Knight. 

JEKUTH. —  They  would  not  dare  now.  (Em 
barrassed.}  What  a  peculiar  question!  There 
was  indeed  a  mill  pond.  .  .  .  How  do  you  come 
to  ask  me  this  question  ? 

RABBI  (smiling). —  Leave  him  alone.  He  is 
harmless.  Rather  let  us  hear  the  end  of  your  story. 

JEKUTH. —  You  may  remember,  since  you  were 
in  Venice  yourself,  that  the  republic  was  on  bad 
terms  with  the  Pope  ten  years  ago,  and  the  Pope 
would  eagerly  seek  an  opportunity  to  start  trouble 
with  the  Senate  of  Venice,  on  the  convenient  ground 
that  they  allowed  apostates  from  Christianity,  as 
they  call  us,  to  profess  Judaism;  and  as  my  only 
salvation  I  joined  the  imperial  army.  Once  in  the 
army  they  could  not  so  easily  seize  me,  and  as  I  had 
learned  to  use  my  sword,  and  had  won  the  prize 
at  a  tournament  under  the  Emperor's  eyes,  the 
Emperor,  who  is  a  lover  of  Israel 

RABBI. —  Praised  be  the  Lord  who  has  given  him 
of  his  power. 

JEKUTH.  (continuing}. —  The  Emperor  took 
personal  interest  in  me.  He  told  me  jestingly  that 
I  should  beware  that  he  might  not  find  anything 
Jewish  in  me.  And,  indeed,  I  had  to  conceal 
my  religion  again,  trusting  in  God  that  He  would 
lead  me  in  the  Emperor's  service  to  Poland,  where  so 
many  of  our  oppressed  brethren  have  found  a  haven 
of  refuge,  and  can  profess  the  God  of  our  fathers. 

RABBI  (to  MEINHARD). —  And  you,  my  friend,  are 
you  also  of  those  who  seek  the  Lord  from  hidden 
places  ? 


26  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

MEINHARD. —  Not  speak  much  your  language. 

RABBI. —  Hable  Vd.  Espanol  que  ya  le  com- 
prendo. 

JEKUTH.  (quickly). — My  friend  is  from  the  Basque 
provinces  in  the  North  of  Spain,  as  I  told  you,  and 
speaks  little  Spanish. 

FRAID. —  And  how  could  you  understand  each 
other. 

JEKUTH. —  We  in  the  imperial  army  speak  all 
languages  a  little,  and  so  he  confided  to  me  that  he 
was  a  Jew,  by  repeating  the  words  which  our  fathers 
teach  us  to  use  when  we  meet  our  brethren.  Say 
them! 

MEIN. —  "  I  am  a  Hebrew,  and  I  fear  the  Lord, 
the  God  of  Heaven." 

RABBI. —  You  have  come  to  us  at  a  time  fraught 
with  grave  dangers.  May  He,  who  gathers  in  the 
lost  sheep  protect  the  faltering. 

(They  continue  the  services.}  "  Praised  be  the 
Almighty  who  has  guarded  his  promise  to  Israel  — 

(Knocks  are  heard  at  the  door.} 

VOICE  (from  without). —  For  God's  sake,  Fraid- 
lin,  open  the  door.  Milkah  desires  you." 

FRAID. —  Rabbi,  will  you  permit  me  to  leave  this 
feast  ?  You  know  Milkah,  the  wife  of  Laemmlin, 
the  wayfaring  man  whom  the  soldiers  killed  for  the 
sake  of  the  few  pennies  which  he  possessed,  or 
perhaps  for  mere  sport  and  in  order  to  satisfy  their 
brutal  instincts.  His  wife,  who  came  near  faring 
badly  at  their  hands,  was  saved  by  the  Captain  and 
handed  to  some  of  our  people  who  passed  by,  re 
turning  from  the  fair  of  Leipsic.  She  is  about  to 
become  a  mother  and  desires  my  presence. 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  27 

RABBI. —  The  saving  of  a  human  life  stands 
higher  in  the  sight  of  God  than  any  religious  duty. 
If  the  poor  creature  feels  relieved  by  your  presence, 
go;  though  I  shall  miss  you  sadly  at  this  feast. 

JEKUTH. —  May  I  accompany  you,  Wife  of  the 
Rabbi  ?  The  streets  are  unsafe  at  night  and  par 
ticularly  at  this  season. 

FRAID. —  Thank  yqu,  knight.  The  distance  is 
short  and  he  who  trusts  in  the  Lord  fears  no  evil. 

RABBI. —  We  are  taught  in  the  law  that  one  who 
does  God's  Work  need  fear  no  evil. 

JEKUTH. —  It  does  not  behoove  us  to  argue  on  the 
ways  of  God,  but  I  saw  my  own  father  stabbed  to 
death  on  a  night  like  this,  when  they  surprised  us 
in  the  cellar  of  our  house  at  the  Seder  service.  I 
saw  my  aged  grandmother  dragged  from  the  cellar 
to  the  street  by  her  white  hair,  and  then  stoned  to 
death  by  an  infuriated  mob. 

SHIFRAH. —  Why  should  God,  who  is  just,  allow 
such  barbarity  ? 

JEKUTH. —  True,  dear  lass,  but  this  is  no  ques 
tion  for  ignorant  people  such  as  we  to  answer. 
God's  ways  are  just,  but  they  are  hard  to  under 
stand.  I  saw  the  mutilated  body  of  that  poor 
Laemmlin,  who  had  the  Tefillin  on  his  head,  while 
his  skull  was  crushed  by  blows  with  clubs.  Un 
fortunately,  I  came  too  late  to  save  him,  but,  thank 
the  Lord,  I  was  able  to  save  his  wife  from  a  fate 
worse  than  death. 

RABBI. —  The  Lord  has  indeed  chosen  you  to 
bind  up  those  that  are  of  broken  heart,  and  I  am 
glad  that  He  brought  such  a  worthy  guest  to  the 
threshold  of  my  home.  But  to-night  it  is  un 
necessary  that  you  trouble  yourself.  Evildoers  are 


28  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

not  in  our  midst,  and  against  those  who  come  from 
without,  even  your  valiant  arm  would  avail  nothing. 

JEKUTH. —  The  Lord  gave  to  David  the  power  to 
defeat  Goliath,  and  to  Samson  the  strength  to  slay  a 
thousand  Philistines.  But  even  were  it  unnecessary 
let  me  follow  her  at  a  distance  that  I  may  have 
a  share  in  the  work  of  charity. 

FRAID. —  You  wished  to  participate  in  the  feast, 
Sir  Knight,  which  has  been  denied  you  so  long. 
Why  trouble  yourself?  The  rabbi  opened  the 
door  to  you  in  spite  of  our  fear,  because  he  felt  that 
the  Almighty  will  protect  us.  Should  he  not  in 
spire  even  his  own  household  ? 

RABBI. —  Let  him  have  his  will,  my  beloved. 
Why  should  I  not  trust  him,  whom  Rabbi  Malkiel 
thought  worthy  of  his  confidence  ?  Go  in  peace, 
my  friend,  you  will  return  soon. 

JEKUTH. —  This  would  mean  to  betray  my 
calling.  If  a  woman  braves  the  dangers  of  this 
agitated  city,  I  shall  not  be  found  wanting  in  my 
duty.  I  shall  guard  the  house  which  she  enters, 
until  her  work  is  done  and  she  can  return. 

(He  turns  towards  the  door,  following  FRAIDLIN, 
who  impatiently  hurries  out.} 

RABBI. —  You  forget  your  bundle. 

JEKUTH. —  It  would  burden  me.  My  friend 
will  take  care  of  it  should  we  not  return  in  time. 
There  would  be  no  harm  to  me  even  if  it  were 
forgotten.  Our  craft  carries  little  that  is  valuable, 
and  that  little  is  easily  replaced  when  it  is  lost. 

RABBI. —  Your  going  out  and  your  coming  in 
be  in  peace. 

(Seder  service  continues.} 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  29 

"  May  the  Lord  grant  us  to  celebrate  other 
feasts  in  joy  and  peace!  " 

(Wild  noises  outside.  Service  stops.  All  agi 
tated.} 

MEIN.  (rising). —  They  me  kill  when  me  find. 

RABBI. —  A  knight  and  fear! 

MEIN. —  Not  fear  when  fight,  but  not  fight  when 
not  must.  And  bad  people  make  you  dead  when 
find  me. 

(Takes  his  bundle  and  hurries  through  the  back 
door.  Noise  growing.} 

JEKEL. —  Woe  unto  me!  And  I  bought  me  a 
new  cap  only  yesterday! 

SHIFRAH. —  Thou  fool,  to  think  of  thy  cap, 
when  thy  mistress  may  be  in  the  hands  of  the  fiends. 

RABBI. —  Do  not  open  thy  mouth  to  evil.  Let 
us  continue! 

"  To  lead  us  from  darkness  and  servitude  unto 
light  and  freedom  — 

SCENE  VI 
Enter  CAPISTRANO  followed  by  a  disorderly  multitude 

CAPISTRANO. —  Where  is  the  child  ?  Where  is 
Andrew,  the  Weaver's  boy  ?  You  must  know, 
for  he  was  seen  right  in  front  of  your  house  only 
day  before  yesterday.  It  was  the  last  time  he  was 
seen  alive.  One  of  your  accursed  race  gave  him  a 
toy  and  lured  him  into  this  house.  From  the  cellar 
of  this  house  his  screams  were  heard  distinctly, 
about  midnight,  last  night.  Give  him  to  me  right 
now,  or  it  will  be  bad  for  you.  Where  is  the  child  ? 

RABBI  (calmly). —  Seek  it.     My  house  is  open. 


30  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

CAPIS. —  You  dare  add  insult  to  your  crime  ? 
He  whom  you  have  crucified  will  find  you  out  and 
bring  you  to  justice. 

RABBI. —  I  know  only  one  God  of  justice  who 
may  afflict  His  servants,  but  will,  in  the  end,  let  the 
righteous  triumph  over  his  enemies. 

CAPIS. —  Do  not  triumph  too  soon!  (To  his 
retinue.}  Search  the  house  from  the  cellar  to  the 
garret.  Look  into  every  corner.  See  whether  the 
floor  of  the  cellar  does  not  show  marks  of  recent 
digging.  Knock  at  the  walls  to  see  if  they  are  not 
hollow.  We  must  find  the  little  martyr.  The 
Holy  Virgin  showed  him  to  me  covered  with 
wounds,  last  night  in  a  vision.  Search  diligently! 

(The  people  search  in  all  directions.  Only  one 
monk  and  two  armed  guards  remain.  "Jekel  and  a 
student  make  a  move  as  if  to  mingle  with  the  search 
ing  party.  CAPISTRANO  raises  his  hand  menac 
ingly.} 

CAPIS. —  Nobody  dare  to  move.  We  know  your 
ruses,  you  generation  of  vipers.  We  know  how 
you  have  rewarded  the  kindness  of  the  Holy  Father, 
who,  but  a  few  years  ago,  moved  by  Christian  com 
passion,  recommended  to  the  princes  to  treat  you 
more  leniently.  But  you  have  badly  rewarded  his 
clemency,  you  stiffnecked  people,  whose  ancestors 
have  so  severely  tried  God's  longsuffering  that  He 
cast  you  away  from  His  countenance  forever.  Your 
only  God  is  the  dirty  Mammon.  By  your  usury 
you  have  driven  the  good  Christian  people,  your 
hosts  and  benefactors,  to  desperation. 

(The  searchers  pass  over  the  stage,  stop  occa 
sionally  and  murmur  applause.} 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  31 

With  fiendish  delight  have  you  tortured  the 
blessed  body  of  our  Lord,  bribing  weak  people  to 
sell  you  a  consecrated  host.  Our  God  is  not  your 
accursed  demon  of  vengeance,  but  He  will  not  allow 
His  holy  name  to  be  defiled.  He  has  found  you 
out,  proving  your  guilt  by  miracles.  He  has  also 
laid  bare  your  murderous  plots  and  deeds,  when 
you,  sons  of  Belial,  mocked  at  the  sacrifice  of  our 
Saviour  by  torturing  innocent  children.  He  will 
bare  your  atrocious  crime  now. 

(Tiuo  women  return  with  frantic  yells,  holding  the 
body  of  a  little  boy  in  their  hands.  People  return 
from  all  sides  and  others  come  in  from  the  streets 
joining  in  the  demonstration.} 

CAPIS.  (to  RABBI). —  Now,  you  blind  guide  of  a 
blind  generation,  has  your  God  of  justice  found  you 
out  ?  (To  the  people.}  Did  the  Holy  Virgin  tell 
me  the  truth  ?  She  has  shown  her  unworthy 
servant  too  often  tokens  of  her  grace.  Yes, 
(pointing  to  the  corpse)  just  so  had  she  shown  me 
the  poor  martyr  in  the  vision.  Look  here,  how  the 
tiny  feet  and  hands  are  pierced!!  Look  here  how 
his  side  has  been  stabbed!  Look  at  these  bleeding 
marks  on  his  forehead,  caused  by  thorns!  Thus 
they  mock  at  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  who  died  for 
their  sins,  if  they  only  had  accepted  him.  Yes! 
I  can  see  the  bright  halo,  adorned  with  the  little 
stars,  around  His  glorious  martyr's  head.  .  .  . 

(Shouts  from  multitude.} — I  can  see  it!  Bright 
as  the  sunlight!  Five  stars!  How  his  eyes  shine! 

CAPIS. —  I  can  feel  that  the  numbness  of  my  arm 
has  gone,  which  so  troubled  me  during  this  terrible 
winter  in  this  cold  climate  — 


32  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

MULTITUDE. —  My  eyesight  is  returning.  The 
gout  is  gone  from  my  arm.  My  stiff  finger  is 
whole  again.  My  cough  troubles  me  no  more. 
Glorious  saint!  (They  kneel  before  the  body  and  ktss 
its  feet.)  Let  us  tear  them  to  pieces.  (JEKEL 
turns  to  flee,  SHIFRAH  faints.)  Let  us  burn  this 
cave  of  Satan !  Into  the  fire  with  that  sorcerer ! 

CAPIS. —  Calm  yourselves,  my  friends.  Your 
Christian  zeal  is  laudable  and  your  indignation 
just,  but  our  holy  mother,  the  Church,  is  lenient,  and 
above  all,  just,  even  to  sinners.  Calm  yourselves, 
or  the  accursed  heretics  in  your  midst  will  point  to 
your  act  as  a  justification  of  their  own  acts  of  high 
way  robbery  and  sacrilege. 

(Shouts.) — Shall  these  murderers  escape  punish 
ment  ?  They  will  bribe  the  King's  judges.  They 
have  brought  the  Emperor  to  their  side  by  their 
ill-gotten .  Mammon ! 

CAPIS. —  Calm  yourselves.  No  guilty  person 
shall  escape.  I  shall  report  to  His  Holiness  that  a 
new  martyr  has  arisen,  and  you  shall  have  a  Saint 
of  your  own  blood  to  plead  your  cause  in  heaven. 

(Shouts.) — A  new  Saint!  Saint  Andrew,  pray 
for  us ! 

CAPIS.  (to  guards). —  Take  this  man  in  irons  to 
the  Franciscan  convent,  and  the  others  to  the  King's 
Justice,  that  he  shall  issue  their  warrants.  Do  not 
take  them  to  the  city  court.  (Smiling.)  There 
they  may  not  be  properly  treated. 

(Shouts.) — Rebels  and  heretics,  Jews  and  worse 
they  are,  these  Aldermen.  We  shall  tear  them  to 
pieces  if  they  interfere  with  the  course  of  justice. 

CAPIS. —  Go  home,  my  children.     We  shall  see 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  33 

that  ill-gotten  Mammon  shall  not  prosper,  but  no 
one  shall  accuse  us  of  taking  even  an  enemy's 
substance  unjustly.  (To  guards.}  Off  with  this 
murderer. 

RABBI  (who  has  remained  calm  during  the  whole 
time). —  I  am  ready,  and  my  God  alone  knows 
why  He  has  sent  this  tribulation  upon  me.  But  if 
thou  hast  the  slightest  feeling  within  thee,  thou  wilt 
allow  me  to  bid  my  wife  farewell.  She  has  gone 
on  an  errand  of  charity. 

CAPIS. —  Off  with  him.  We  shall  find  her  and 
every  one  who  is  connected  with  this  crime. 

RABBI. —  I  shall  speak  to  her  in  your  language, 
in  your  presence. 

CAPIS. —  Offwithhim!  Do  not  tarry!  (pointing 
to  corpse).  See  the  imploring  look  in  the  eyes  of 
the  little  saint.  You  shall  have  justice.  Off  with 
that  gang  of  murderers. 


ACT  III 

T he  RABBI'S  Library.     (Beth  Hamidrash] 

SCENE  I 

Congregational  meeting  in  progress.  Seven 
Councillors.  Clerk  writing. 

RAPHAEL. —  No,  and  a  thousand  times  no!  We 
must  not  stand  idle  by  the  blood  of  our  neighbor! 
This  case  is  not  the  cause  of  a  mere  neighbor;  it  is 
the  cause  of  our  beloved  leader;  it  is  our  common 
cause,  for  it  is  a  plot  against  all  Israel. 

PETH. —  It  is  useless  to  block  the  path  of  Provi 
dence.  The  trouble  is  a  divine  visitation.  I 
have  warned  Rabbi  Israel  but  recently  that  this 
levity  of  participating  in  the  feasts  of  the  Gentiles, 
this  fraternizing  with  those  that  are  hateful  to  the 
King,  will  bring  upon  us  divine  punishment. 
Scripture  and  Talmud  warn  us  against  joining 
rebels.  You  ask  the  Rabbi  himself.  The  Talmud 
says:  "  God  made  Israel  swear  not  to  rebel  against 
their  rulers  and  to  submit  to  tyranny  until  He 
shall  deliver  them,  as  He  has  promised." 

RAPHAEL. —  And  if  they  had  laid  the  plot  against 
you,  would  you  advise  the  same  course  ? 

PETH. —  I  would  take  upon  myself  whatever 
God  has  decreed. 

RAPHAEL. —  And  are  you  sure  that  this  terrible 
plot  is  not  merely  a  prelude  to  an  attack  on  our 
whole  community,  to  be  followed  by  an  expulsion 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  35 

and  spoliation,  as  has  been  done  within  our  mem 
ory  by  the  King's  father  in  Austria. 

PETH. —  The  monk  is  our  enemy,  but  he  would 
not  go  to  the  extreme.  He  told  me  that  the  guilty 
ones  shall  suffer,  but  that  no  one  else  would  be 
molested. 

RAPHAEL. —  Why  not  say  it  plainly,  Pethahiah  ? 
You  bribed  the  monk,  and  obtained  his  promise 
that  you  will  be  protected. 

PETH. —  Who  said  so  ? 

RAPHAEL. —  You  are  witness  against  yourself. 
Or  what  else  were  you  doing  at  the  monk's  cell  ? 
Did  you  speak  to  him  about  the  Rabbi  and  the 
other  prisoners  ?  Did  you  offer  any  ransom  ? 

PETH. —  You  need  not  teach  me  how  to  deal  with 
priests,  nobles,  and  rulers.  I  have  done  business 
with  them  for  nearly  forty  years. 

RAPHAEL. —  Then  it  is  so  much  the  more  your 
duty  to  give  assistance  in  this  case. 

PETH. —  It  is  easy  for  you  to  make  appropria 
tions  whjch  others  shall  pay.  How  long  ago  is  .it, 
that  we  had  to  pay  a  special  tribute  for  war  pur 
poses  ?  Then  the  city  demanded  one  fourth  of  the 
cost  of  the  new  fortifications.  The  Bishop  bled  us 
for  the  cost  of  the  restoration  of  the  cathedral. 
Who  is  always  assessed  for  the  greater  part  of  these 
sums  ?  Where  is  this  to  end  ?  To  give  large  sums 
now  would  merely  make  them  believe  that  we 
have  immense  treasures:  it  would  be  encouraging 
them  to  rob  us.  The  great  Rabbi  Meir,  of  Rothen- 
burg,  died  in  prison,  and  would  not  allow  any  ran 
som  to  be  paid  for  him,  because  he  foresaw  that 
such  a  payment  would  merely  encourage  further 


36  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

exactions.     If  our  rabbi  is  such  a  saint  he  will  do 
likewise. 

SCENE  II 
FRAIDLIN  enters. 

FRAID. —  For  mercy's  sake,  help.  Help  quickly, 
for  it  will  soon  be  too  late. 

VOICES. —  How  do  you  come  here  ? 

FRAID. —  Do  not  ask.  I  shall  tell  you  every 
thing  later.  Now  is  no  time  to  tell  stories.  Help 
quickly,  or  it  will  be  too  late. 

RAPHAEL. —  We  respect  your  grief,  Wife  of  the 
Rabbi,  or  else  we  would  not  allow  a  woman  to  come 
into  the  council  of  men. 

FRAID. —  Nor  would  I  have  come  were  it  not 
that  every  hour  of  delay  may  mean  death.  But 
now  act  before  it  is  too  late. 

RAPHAEL. —  But  your  story  might  help  us  to 
find  means  of  rendering  aid  to  the  victims. 

FRAID. —  Be  it  so!  I  was  called  out  of  the 
house  during  the  Seder  service  to  attend  Milkah, 
the  wife  of  the  wayfaring  man,  WTho  was  killed  by 
the  soldiers.  But  it  seems  to  have  been  a  ruse 
that  I  cannot  fully  understand.  As  I  turned  the 
corner  of  the  bath  house,  where  the  entrance  to  the 
adjoining  poorhouse  is,  I  was  stopped  by  two 
armed  guards,  who  held  their  halberds  across  the 
walk.  What  they  said  I  do  not  know;  the  fright 
benumbed  all  my  senses.  Nor  do  I  know  what 
followed,  until  at  the  door  of  the  Ursuline  convent, 
a  knight  who  had  followed  me  from  the  door  of  my 
house  — 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  37 

PETH. —  A  knight  had  followed  you  ?  How 
did  he  happen  to  be  there  ? 

FRAID. —  You  had  better  not  question  me, 
Pethahiah,  but  be  sure  that  I  have  nothing  to 
conceal. 

RAPHAEL. —  Do  not  mind  him.  He  believes 
that  he  has  bought  his  own  safety  from  the  monk; 
but  I  would  rather  be  a  poor  man  in  these  days, 
in  whose  home  nobody  expects  to  find  any  plunder, 
than  to  have  coffers  full  of  jewels  and  bonds. 

PETH. —  Who  says  that  I  possess  any  wealth  ? 
My  jealous  ill-wishers  will  not  be  able  to  change  the 
mind  of  our  rulers  who  know  my  upright  dealings. 
RAPHAEL. —  Nobody  has  informed  against  you, 
but  you,  trusting  in  your  wealth,  insult  everybody. 
Let  Fraidlin  continue. 

FRAID. —  At  the  gate  of  the  monastery,  when  a 
nun  held  a  lantern  before  my  face,  I  heard  the 
knight  say  the  guards  should  leave  me  there  and 
that  he  would  be  responsible  for  this  order.  I 
cannot  describe  my  condition,  although  a  young 
and  pretty  nun  spoke  very  kindly  to  me.  I  did  not 
sleep  a  minute  all  night  and  did  not  know  what  it 
was  all  about  until  this  morning  a  bailiff  of  the 
King's  court  came,  and  announced  to  me  that  I 
should  be  free  if  I  would  tell  what  I  knew  about  the 
plot  to  murder  Andrew,  the  weaver's  son.  When 
I  told  him  that  I  had  never  seen  the  boy,  and  did 
not  even  know  of  his  existence,  he  told  me  of  the 
terrible  things  that  had  happened.  The  excite 
ment,  added  to  the  exhaustion,  the  sleepless  night, 
and  the  lack  of  food  were  too  much  for  me.  I  fell 
in  a  dead  faint.  How  long  it  lasted  I  do  not  know; 


38  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

the  nun  wanted  me  to  take  a  cup  of  milk,  and  when 
I  refused  on  account  of  the  Passover  law,  which 
she  seemed  to  know  well,  she  spoke  to  the  bailiff", 
who  told  me  to  go  home  but  not  to  leave  the  house 
so  that  I  should  always  be  ready  for  a  hearing 
before  the  judge,  and  that  no  one  should  see  me, 
except  by  permission  of  the  captain,  who  is  guarding 
our  quarter. 

RAPHAEL. —  Your  wonderful  salvation  may  be  a 
help  to  our  cause.  Do  you  know  that  bailiff  who 
cross-examined  you  ? 

FRAID. —  I  do  not. 

RAPHAEL. —  Do  you  remember  the  name  of  the 
nun  who  was  so  kind  to  you  ? 

FRAID. —  She  told  me  her  name.  It  was  Sister 
Scholastica  and  she  said  I  should  regard  her  as  a 
friend. 

RAPHAEL. —  That  might  be  some  help.  I  know 
the  prioress  of  the  monastery,  as  I  sold  there  quills 
and  parchment.  I  have  at  home  a  spool  of  goldspun 
which  the  nuns  like  for  their  sacred  vestments. 
If  I  should  take  it  to  the  prioress,  with  the  request 
that  she  let  me  hand  it  to  Sister  Scholastica  as  a 
tribute  of  gratitude,  I  might  be  able  to  talk  to  her. 

FRAID. —  Cease  your  usual  backdoor  methods. 
The  matter  is  urgent  and  the  people  are  excited. 
I  trembled  as  I  heard  the  threats  when  I  walked 
from  the  monastery  to  this  place.  We  must  have 
great  sums.  Send  messengers  all  over  Germany 
and  Italy.  Tell  them  that  Rabbi  Israel  is  in  dan 
ger.  Great  sums! 

PETH. —  We  must  not  encourage  blackmail. 
They  would  always  demand  more.  I  shall  see  the 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  39 

prioress,  who  pawned  her  tiara  with  me,  and  if 
she  tells  me  who  the  bailiff  is,  I  can  speak  to  him, 
I  know  them  all. 

FRAID. —  But  it  will  be  too  late.  If  you  mean 
well,  offer  security  for  a  large  sum,  and  in  the  mean 
time,  messengers  shall  solicit  contributions  from 
our  brethren  all  over  Europe. 

PETH. —  If  it  is  a  divine  decree  nobody  will  be 
able  to  avert  it.  And  I  fear  it  is  a  divine  decree. 
God  is  just.  I  have  warned  the  Rabbi  against  his 
leniency  to  sinners.  The  Talmud  says  that  a 
leader  is  held  responsible  for  the  sins  of  his  flock. 
It  was  a  divine  warning  that  the  Lord  has  denied 
to  him  the  blessing  of  children. 

RAPHAEL. —  Shame  and  disgrace  upon  you, 
Pethahiah,  to  wound  a  woman's  feelings  in  the 
bitterness  of  distress. 

FRAID. —  Thank  you,  Raphael,  for  your  good 
will,  but  if  the  -Lord  decreed  it  as  a  punishment  for 
my  husband's  sins,  or  mine,  that  we  should  be 
denied  the  happiness  of  children,  I  shall  thank 
Him  that  He  spared  me  the  severer  visitation  of 
profligate  children. 

(Voices.) — Right!  He  deserved  it! 
FRAID. —  Far  be  it  from  me  to  requite  injury  by 
injury.  But  you,  Pethahiah,  wished  to  know  who 
the  knight  was  who  followed  me  from  my  house 
to  the  place  where  the  guards  arrested  me.  You 
shall  know.  He  had  come  to  our  house  with 
another  knight,  claiming  that  they  were  Marannos 
and  wished  to  celebrate  the  feast.  My  husband,  in 
the  goodness  of  his  heart,  welcomed  them  at  our 
table  in  spite  of  my  hints  that  he  should  be  careful. 


40  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

It  was  this  knight  who  brought  the  child's  body  to 
our  house.  I  suspected  him  all  the  time,  and  in 
my  sleepless  night  I  collected  my  thoughts.  I  am 
positive  that  I  saw  him,  when  I  was  a  child,  at  my 
father's  house.  He  is  Jekuthiel,  your  profligate  son, 
who  has  forsaken  the  God  of  his  fathers. 

(Voices.) —  Woe  unto  us,  for  if  it  be  he,  he  will  not 
desist  until  he  has  ruined  us. 

PETH.  (agitated  and  stammering). —  You  do  not 
know.  You  merely  wish  to  wound  my  heart,  tear 
ing  open  old  wounds. 

RAPHAEL. —  It  is  probable  enough.  He  is 
known  to  have  sworn  revenge  on  you  and  on  all 
Israel  when  you  drove  him  out  of  the  house. 

FRAID. —  Whether  God  visits  on  you  your  sins 
or  not  is  not  for  me  to  decide,  but  you  should  take 
heed,  lest  pride  in  your  wealth  deceive  you. 

PETH. —  I  have  cursed  him.  Why  should  God 
not  have  destroyed  him  ?  He  killed  his  mother  and 
made  me  dead  to  the  world.  He  was  my  only  child. 

FRAID. —  Must  I,  the  woman,  spur  you  to  action. 
Go,  go  at  once.  See  what  you  can  do  to  help.  It 
is  the  righteous  who  is  suffering  for  you.  If  you 
help  him,  it  will  be  accounted  righteousness  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Lord. 

PETH. —  We  are  lost.  He  will  know  no  com 
passion. 

(The  council  departs.} 

SCENE  III 

FRAIDLIN,  in  the  study  taking  out  an  old  folio  and 
turning  its  pages. 

FRAIDLIN  (murmuring}. —  Father's  book  that  he 


gave  Israel  on  our  wedding  day.  (Wipes  her  eyes. 
The  sound  of  steps  startles  her.  JEKUTHIEL  stand 
ing  before  her.} 

FRAID. —  Do  you  come  to  enjoy  the  sight  of  the 
sufferings  you  have  brought  upon  those  whom  you  de 
serted  and  whom  you  wish  to  make  more  miserable, 
in  order  to  advance  your  selfish  and  petty  aims  ? 

JEKUTHIEL. —  You  misjudge  me,  good  lady.  I 
harbor  no  ill  feeling  against  you. 

FRAID. —  Do  you  believe  that  I  shall  cringe  before 
my  enemy  ?  Sir  Knight,  I  am  a  woman.  I  never 
lifted  a  sword.  I  could  not  hurt  you  if  I  would. 
You  can  make  me  miserable,  but  you  cannot  make 
me  contemptible. 

JEKUTH. —  You  grieve  me  by  your  suspicion.  I 
shall  not  allow  any  one  to  do  you  evil,  and,  least  of 
all,  would  I  act  against  the  laws  of  my  order  by  in 
sulting  a  woman,  even  a  Jewess. 

FRAID. —  How  kind  of  you  to  respect  the  women, 
whose  fathers,  brothers,  and  husbands  you  hate 
with  such  bitter  passion. 

JEKUTH. —  Again  you  do  me  wrong.  I  may  hate 
some  of  your  people  who  deserve  it,  but  I  do  not 
hate  your  people.  I  may  say  I  love  them,  although 
my  love  does  not  make  me  blind  to  the  fact  that 
their  sufferings  are  deserved.  A  band  of  boys 
cannot  with  impunity  mock  and  so  provoke  an 
armed  troop. 

FRAID. —  And  when  there  is  no  provocation,  you 
create  it.  Or  do  you,  the  son  of  Jewish  people, 
believe  that  Andrew  was  murdered  in  our  house, 
and  thatwe  perform  such  sacrifices  annually  ?  Who 
provoked  in  this  case  ? 


42  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

JEKUTH. —  You  provoke  by  your  very  existence. 
A  small,  scattered  group  too  weak  to  defend  itself 
is  a  provocation  by  living  a  life  apart  from  its 
environment. 

FRAID. —  And  so  the  only  way  for  us  to  prevent 
your  irritation  would  be  to  commit  suicide  and  thus 
save  you  the  inconvenience  of  killing  us.  This  is, 
I  presume,  what  you  call  the  law  of  love. 

JEKUTH. —  I  have  not  come  to  discuss  law  and 
love,  Judaism  and  Christianity.  I  have  come  to 
offer  you  advice  and  assistance. 

FRAID. —  Assistance  from  you  ?  What  new  game 
of  deceit  is  this  ? 

JEKUTH. —  You  are  a  woman,  and  a  woman 
whom  I  respect.  You  are  in  distress  and  your  anger 
is  pardonable,  but  you  must  not,  even  in  this  con 
dition,  attack  my  honor  as  a  knight. 

FRAID. —  Were  I  free  I  would  say  that  I  shall 
respect  my  duty  towards  one  who  is  a  guest  in  my 
house.  But  is  my  remark  more  impugning  your 
honor,  that  the  fact  that  you  introduced  yourself 
as  a  Maranno  longing  for  the  companionship  of  a 
Jewish  feast  ? 

JEKUTH. —  I  had  to  do  it  in  order  to  be  admitted. 
And  I  am  Maranno.  Indeed,  I  cannot  suppress  an 
occasional  longing  for  the  joys  of  my  youth. 

FRAID. —  And  this  hospitality,  so  trustingly 
bestowed  on  you,  you  used  to  ruin  your  hosts!  Is 
this  a  knight's  honor  ?  Or  did  you  not  bring  the 
child's  corpse  into  our  house  ? 

JEKUTH. —  I  did  it  for  your  benefit,  you  may 
take  it  upon  my  word  of  honor. 

FRAID. —  How  kind ! 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  43 

JEKUTH. —  Appearances  are  against  me,  but  you 
will  at  least  see  that  what  I  tell  you  is  so  probable 
that  you  will  have  to  admit  that  it  may  be  true. 
You  know  that  Capistrano  came  here  with  the 
desire  of  stirring  up  the  wild  passions  of  the  mob 
against  the  Jews.  He  needs  this  excitement  in 
order  to  arouse  the  fanaticism  of  the  population 
against  the  Hussites.  He  did  it  elsewhere.  You 
knew  it,  for  you  tried  to  protect  yourselves.  Do 
me  the  favor  to  say  that  I  am  right. 

FRAID. —  If  it  soothes  your  pride,  wounded  by 
my  doubts,  I  shall  say  that  it  is  so. 

JEKUTH. —  Then  you  know  also  that  if  Capis 
trano  had  chosen  to  fire  the  mob  against  you  here 
as  elsewhere,  he  would  have  attained  his  end. 

FRAID. —  Therefore  you  gave  him  the  semblance 
of  a  right,  and  to  the  mob  a  pretence  of  justice. 

JEKUTH. —  I  stayed  the  inevitable  catastrophe  by 
giving  the  monk  the  opportunity  of  court  procedure 
instead  of  blind  mob  rule,  and  by  carrying  out  part 
of  the  plot  myself  I  made  sure  that  the  plan  would 
not  be  disturbed  by  zeal  or  malignant  passion. 

FRAID. —  If  I  understand  you  right,  you  meant  to 
protect  me  by  placing  the  charge  against  my  hus 
band.  How  did  I  deserve  such  kindness  ? 

JEKUTH. —  Leave  the  cause  alone.  You  have 
expressed  doubt  in  the  sincerity  of  my  offer  to 
help  you.  Let  me  set  myself  right  by  explaining 
the  reason  for  my  procedure.  By  carrying  out  one 
part  of  the  plot,  which  would  have  been  done  by 
some  one  else  in  some  other  fashion,  but  with  the 
same  effect,  I  gained  for  myself  freedom  from  the 
suspicion  that  I  favor  my  people.  I  lured  you 


44  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

away  from  your  home  and  brought  you  to  the  con 
vent  where  you  were  safe  from  mob  violence  if  the 
precautions  for  the  preservation  of  order  should  be 
unavailing.  I  knew  that  my  word  would  make  you 
free,  and  you  can  now  do  whatever  is  in  your 
power  to  save  your  husband,  whose  fate  would  have 
been  the  same,  if  not  worse,  had  I  kept  out  of  his 
path.  And  now,  whether  I  have  convinced  you  or 
not,  I  am  ready  to  assist  you. 

FRAID. —  Forgive  me,  Knight  Conrad  —  so  they 
call  you,  if  I  heard  aright  —  forgive,  if  I  suspected 
you,  but  my  own  liberation  only  confirmed  me  in 
my  suspicion.  I  do  not  know  whether 

JEKUTH. —  Speak  out  frankly,  Wife  of  the  Rabbi. 
I  shall  not  bear  you  any  grudge  for  whatever  you 
may  say. 

FRAID. —  I  believe  —  I  am  convinced  —  that 
you  are  Jekuthiel,  the  son  of  Pethahiah. 

JEKUTH. —  And  if  I  were  ? 

FRAID. —  I  would  expect  you  last  of  all  men  to  be 
sincere  in  your  protestation  of  friendship. 

JEKUTH. —  And  why  ? 

FRAID. —  Because  your  father  is  the  only  one  in 
this  city  who  bears  ill  will  towards  Rabbi  Israel. 

JEKUTH. —  And  this,  you  think,  should  be  a 
reason  for  me  to  feel  likewise  ? 

FRAID. —  To  be  candid,  No!  Unless  you  should 
believe  to  reconcile  him  by  — 

JEKUTH.  (laughing}. —  And  you  actually  think 
that  my  father  would  become  reconciled  to  what 
he  calls  my  apostasy,  if  I  brought  misery  upon  a 
man  whom  he  dislikes  ? 

FRAID. —  I  do  not.     For  whatever  Pethahiah's 


.   ISRAEL  BRUNA  45 

faults  may  be,  he  is  sincere  in  his  religion,  and  no 
misery  would  be  so  severe  that  he  would  not 
rejoice  in  seeing  it  inflicted  upon  you. 

JEKUTH. —  That  you  think  so  little  of  my  in 
telligence  as  to  presume  that  I  should  so  misjudge 
his  character,  I  can  easily  forgive,  but  that  you 
should  consider  my  character  so  mean  that  I  should 
speculate  on  my  father's  filthy  lucre  by  ruining  an 
innocent  man  who  never  harmed  me,  this  grieves 
me.  It  grieves  me  from  you.  Your  face,  your 
eyes,  the  tone  of  your  voice  and  the  manner  in  which 
you  bore  your  misfortune  would  never  have  led 
me  to  seek  in  you  such  unfairness,  even  towards  a 
deserter  from  your  faith  or  towards  a  personal 
enemy. 

FRAID. —  Forgive  me.  I  did  not  mean  to  hurt 
you,  but  you  must  admit  that  your  offer  of  as 
sistance  must  appear  strange  to  me. 

JEKUTH. —  You  shall  not  be  left  in  the  dark. 
When  I  saw  you  on  that  evening  I  resolved  to 
redeem  you.  Your  kindness  in  the  midst  of  the 
anxiety  which  the  presence  of  strangers  created; 
your  fearlessness  when  you  were  called  to  attend 
that  poor  woman;  that  composure  which  you  pre 
served  when  they  arrested  you;  all  this  worked  so 
strongly  on  my  memory  that  it  recalled  the  happiest 
moments  of  my  life.  I  saw  you  again  — 

FRAID. —  Did  you  ever  see  me  before  ? 

JEKUTH. —  It  is  many  years  ago.  You  were  a 
child  with  large  brown  eyes  and  such  beautiful 
black  curls,  the  pet  of  the  whole  community,  and 
especially  of  the  young  men  studying  at  the  Yeshi- 
bah.  You  were  the  only  bright  spot  in  that 


46  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

gloomy  place.  Had  it  not  been  for  you  I  could  not 
have  endured  it  one  week,  but  finally,  the  storm 
had  to  come.  I  could  not  stand  the  religious 
discipline  of  your  father,  that  constant  bickering 
about  the  most  trivial  affairs  of  life,  which  made 
me  always  think  of  my  father,  who  was  so  conscien 
tious  in  all  these  things,  but  did  not  mind,  in  the 
least,  ruining  a  hard-working  farmer  or  decoying 
an  easy  noble  into  his  trap,  nor  even  weaving  his 
webs  to  catch  a  brother  in  the  faith  who  had 
offended  his  vanity  or  had  crossed  his  path  in  busi 
ness.  "  Away  from  this  religion,"  was  my  de 
termination. 

FRAID. —  But  the  sweet  Passover  festival  made 
you  long  for  a  Jewish  home.  Or  was  all  this 
feigned,  too  ? 

JEKUTH. —  No,  it  was  not.  At  least,  not  quite. 
I  told  you  that  I  like  to  recall  occasionally  the 
memories  of  childhood.  We  study  the  practices 
of  peoples  in  foreign  lands,  but  we  would  not  like 
to  live  among  them.  My  desire  to  be  at  the  house 
of  the  rabbi  was  inspired  by  different  motives. 
In  all  these  years  when  I  was  in  Italy,  first  as 
student,  then  as  soldier  under  almost  all  the  petty 
tyrants,  and  finally  joining  Capistrano's  crusaders, 
it  was  your  picture  which  remained  the  only 
remembrance  of  my  past,  which  I  would  not  and 
could  not  blot  out  from  my  memory.  Do  you 
understand,  Wife  of  the  Rabbi  ? 

FRAID. —  I  understand  that  your  new  religion 
made  you  forget  the  law  adopted  by  it  from  its 
mother,  "  Thou  shalt  not  covet." 

JEKUTH. —  Leave  me  alone  with  old  and  new 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  47 

religion.  The  only  true  religion  is  that  dictate  of 
life,  love,  enjoy  nature's  gifts.  This  means  serving 
our  Maker. 

FRAID. —  And  you  know  of  no  sin  ?  Robbing 
your  neighbor,  ruining  his  home,  destroying  the 
sweetest  memories  of  innocent  children,  all  this 
is  no  sin  to  you  ? 

JEKUTH.  (laughing  aloud}. —  Sin,  old  bugbear  of 
vicious  tyrants,  allied  with  priestly  schemers  and 
supported  by  a  stupid  rabble.  From  your  father's 
Yeshibah  I  was  expelled  because  I  was  caught 
practising  fencing  on  the  Sabbath.  They  would 
have  stoned  me  to  death  had  they  had  the  power; 
they  would  have  inflicted  upon  me  such  torture  as 
I  would  not  allow  to  be  inflicted  on  a  vicious  dog, 
if  the  state  would  permit  them  to  practice  their 
law.  What  is  sin  ?  Your  husband  was  busy  in 
the  week  preceding  your  feast,  was  he  not  ? 

FRAID.  (embarrassed}. —  Why  do  you  ask  ?  He 
always  is. 

JEKUTH. —  What  occupied  him  ?  I  suppose  a 
woman  showed  him  a  knife  which  stuck  somewhat 
loosely  in  the  handle,  and  she  wanted  to  know 
whether  she  should  put  it  into  boiling  water  before 
cementing  it,  or  afterwards.  Why  ?  Because  to 
use  it  in  the  wrong  way  on  the  Passover  would  be  a 
mortal  sin,  and  one  who  did  it  would  be  punished 
here  and  in  the  hereafter.  This  is  what  you  call 
sin!  Sin!  Sin!  Using  a  fork  or  a  knife  with  a 
loose  handle! 

FRAID.  (excited}. —  And  your  Christian  religion, 
with  these  saints  who  plot  with  our  apostates  to 
rob  and  to  murder  ? 


48  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

JEKUTH.  (laughing). —  Do  not  get  excited  over 
my  Christianity,  fair  lady.  You  might  be  wasting 
your  theology  on  the  wrong  party.  I  am  at  present 
engaged  in  butchering  people  who  believe  in  taking 
a  sip  of  wine  at  religious  exercises,  while  they  ought 
to  leave  it  to  the  priests.  You,  fair  lady,  may  not 
know  how  wicked  it  is  to  desire  a  share  in  the 
priest's  wine  at  the  mass.  This  is  almost  as  bad  as, 
or  perhaps  still  worse,  than  using  a  knife  on  Pass 
over  without  Waiting  for  the  rabbi's  advice  on  how 
to  cement  its  handle. 

FRAID. —  I  pity  you.  You  are  as  the  blind  and 
as  the  deaf.  You  do  not  see  God's  work,  and  you 
do  not  hear  His  voice.  I  pity  you.  My  husband 
takes  life  as  a  duty,  to  which  he  must  give  all  his 
forces.  My  father,  whom  you  charged  with  in 
humanity,  kept,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  wounded 
Hussite  warriors  in  his  house  and  nursed  them 
until  they  were  well. 

JEKUTH. —  Believe  me,  Fraidlin,  it  was  not  my 
intention  to  hurt  your  feelings.  Your  father  was 
indeed  a  good,  a  noble  man.  It  was  his  religion 
which  stunted  his  humanity. 

FRAID. —  I  do  not  bear  you  any  grudge,  Knight 
Conrad,  any  more  than  I  Would  hate  a  blind  man, 
who,  ignorant  of  his  affliction,  curses  the  sun  be 
cause  it  does  not  shine.  You  were  unfortunate  in 
your  home.  I  was  blessed  in  mine.  I  knew  my 
great-grandmother.  She  was  more  than  four 
score  and  ten  when  I  learned  to  talk,  and  one  day 
I  noticed  a  bad  scar  on  her  wrinkled  cheek.  I 
asked  her  how  she  had  received  it  and  she  told  me 
the  story.  She  was  a  little  child  when  our  people 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  49 

were  charged  with  having  desecrated  the  host. 
Her  Christian  nurse  saved  her  from  the  burning 
home,  pretending  that  she  was  her  own  child. 
She  then  saw  her  own  grandfather  and  grand 
mother  stand  on  the  pyre  and  heard  them  sing 
until  the  smoke  choked  their  voices.  She  heard 
them  recite  the  benediction,  giving  thanks  to  God 
Almighty,  who  had  privileged  them  to  die  for  the 
glory  of  His  holy  name.  I  am  a  woman,  and  not 
learned,  and  cannot  argue  with  you  about  what 
your  heathens  say,  but  I  desire  no  more  happiness 
than  this  good  woman  had  in  life  and  death,  and 
I  am  ready  like  these  ancestors  of  mine  to  thank 
God  who  has  privileged  me  to  die  for  the  glory  of 
His  name. 

JAKUTH. —  Leave  me  alone  with  this  great- 
grandmother  talk,  which  might  well  be  proof 
that  Hera  was  offended  because  she  had  not  been 
given  the  beauty  prize  by  Paris;  it  was  the  justifi 
cation  of  your  remoter  ancestors  when  they  sac 
rificed  innocent  babes  to  their  Moloch.  What  are 
the  dead  great-grandmothers  to  us  ?  Our  life's 
instincts  are  the  only  divine  commands.  To  your 
husband  only  duty  binds  you.  Stern,  cold,  Jewish 
duty.  You  acquit  yourself  of  this  duty  by  pro 
curing  for  him  that  freedom  which  otherwise  he 
will  never  obtain.  Answer  honestly!  No!  Do 
not  answer!  I  can  read  your  answer  in  the  fine 
lines  of  your  face  and  in  these  deep,  childlike  eyes, 
which  proclaim  the  privilege  of  human  nature  to 
follow  its  own  behest!  How  could  you  ever  love  a 
man  who  is  a  walking  code  ?  A  man  who  married 
you  because  the  law  says  he  must  take  a  wife  ? 


50  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

Who  will  divorce  you  in  the  no  distant  future  because 
the  law  says  he  must  have  children. 

FRAID. —  Knight  Konrad!  Is  this  the  vaunted 
etiquette  of  your  order  that  allows  you  to  touch  the 
most  sensitive  spot  in  a  woman's  heart  ? 

JEKUTH. —  How  hard  it  is  for  a  noble  sentiment, 
warped  by  soulless  bigotry,  to  understand  true 
sympathy  ?  What  can  a  man  be  to  you,  whom  you 
married  because  the  law  says  you  shall  obey,  and 
who  married  you  because  of  the  law.  Law! 
Nothing  but  that  absurd,  immoral  Law!  If  you 
would  only  listen  to  your  best  teacher!  Your 
prophet  said:  the  only  true  law  is  that  which  is 
written  in  your  own  heart.  Follow  its  behest! 
Fraidlin!  I  have  longed,  I  have  suffered,  I  have 
brought  what  is  the  greatest  sacrifice  for  a  man  of 
honor  —  I  have  sinned  for  you.  Does  your  heart 
not  respond  to  this  appeal  ? 

FRAID. —  You  are  a  traitor  to  my  —  to  your 
people. 

JEKUTH. —  What  is  your  people  to  you?  Be 
yourself.  Let  your  heart  answer,  and  not  your 
mouldy  law. 

FRAID. —  My  heart  has  for  the  traitor  of  my 
people  only  hatred  softened  by  — 

JEKUTH. —  Sympathy  for  the  man. 

FRAID. —  Softened  by  contempt  for  the  fortune 
hunter. 

JEKUTH. —  Wife  of  the  Rabbi!  you  shall  repent 
of  your  words.  My  revenge  shall  be  relentless,  for 
it  will  be  the  law  of  my  heart. 

FRAID. —  Your  threats  have  no  terror  for  me. 
I  do  not  desire  any  lot  different  from  that  of  my 
people. 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  51 

JEKUTH.—  Fraidlin !  Your  heart  has  not  spoken. 
Your  heart  is  asleep.  I  hear  steps.  Consider  for 
three  days  before  you  decide! 

FRAID.—  I  have  decided.  (Exit.) 

SCENE  IV 
FRAIDLIN  as  before.     SCHOLASTICA  enters. 

SCHOLASTICA. —  Peace  be  unto  this  afflicted 
home. 

FRAID. —  Peace  is  on  your  lips  and  a  double- 
edged  sword  is  in  your  heart. 

SCHO. —  Why  so  bitter  ?  I  have  come  to  offer 
you  hope  and  peace. 

FRAID. —  So  did  Knight  Konrad.  At  least,  he 
called  it  so. 

SCHO. —  I  do  not  know  what  brought  him  to  you, 
but  I  came,  driven  by  the  love  of  Him  for  whose 
sake  I  left  father  and  mother,  for  whose  sake  I 
abandoned  all  happiness  of  woman,  and  who  has 
given  me  His  covenant  of  peace. 

FRAID. —  May  I  ask  you  how  I  deserved  your 
interest  in  my  cause  ? 

SCHO. —  We  are  called  to  attend  the  suffering,  no 
matter  why  they  suffer.  Our  gates  are  open  to  the 
wounded  highway  robber,  who  reached  them  just 
in  time  to  escape  the  grip  of  the  sheriff.  They 
are  open  to  the  fallen  woman,  from  whom  men  and 
women  turn  with  a  shudder  of  disgust.  We  nurse 
the  victims  of  battle  though  they  may  have  raised 
their  arms  against  Christ  and  His  Church. 

FRAID. —  I  am  not  guilty  of  such  a  crime  nor  did 
I  seek  the  protection  of  your  convent;  in  fact,  I  was 
brought  there  very  much  against  my  will. 


52  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

SCHO. —  Indeed,  you  have  not  called  me,  but  I 
came.  I  came,  drawn  by  the  ties  of  kinship. 
Like  you,  I  have  passed  through  the  valley  of 
weeping,  but  I  have  found  rest  at  the  foot  of  the 
Cross  on  which  the  Saviour  shed  His  blood  for  all 
mankind,  and  for  His  people  above  all. 

FRAID. —  Listen!  What  can  your  faith  give  me  ? 
It  has  taken  my  husband.  He  is  all  I  have  in  this 
world,  for  I  have  neither  father,  mother,  nor  child. 
I  may  yet  share  the  fate  of  my  people,  and  still  you 
offer  me  as  consolation  the  belief  that  the  cause 
that  brought  all  this  suffering  upon  so  many  inno 
cent  people  is  the  cause  of  truth  and  justice. 

SCHO. —  Hard  as  it  may  appear,  so  it  is. 

FRAID. —  And  you,  in  whose  face  I  read  the  love 
of  truth  and  goodness,  believe  that  a  rabbi,  who 
teaches  kindness  to  the  dumb  brute,  would  murder 
an  innocent  child?  Oh,  if  you  knew  him! 

SCHO. —  If  I  knew  him!  (correcting  herself.}  I 
certainly  do  not  think  ill  of  him,  but  I  do  not  know 
all  your  practices;  they  differ  in  various  lands. 
And  while  I  shall  not  say  that  these  charges  are 
true,  I  must  say  that  the  God  of  justice  has  some 
plans,  even  when  He  permits  injustice. 

FRAID. —  It  is  a  very  convenient  thing  for  the 
wicked  to  say  that  God  will  turn  their  wrongdoing 
to  some  good  use. 

SCHO. —  Your  affliction  excuses  your  bitterness. 
But  do  you  not  see  that  destructive  floods  will  water 
the  soil,  and  that  killing  frosts  will  stay  the  dread 
plague  ?  May  it  not  be  His  plan,  even  by  undeserved 
suffering,  to  show  you  the  way  of  truth  and  make 
you  look  up  to  Him,  whom  you  have  pierced  ? 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  53 

Your  husband  is  a  man,  learned  in  the  law  and 
beloved  by  his  people.  Might  he  not  have  been 
chosen  to  teach  them  the  error  of  their  ways  ?  Let 
him  study  his  own  scriptures  and  he  will  see  that 
God  sent  His  only  begotten  Son  into  the  world,  and 
if  he  opens  the  eyes  of  his  flock  to  this  great  truth, 
then  suffering  will  bring  glorious  fruit  and  your 
lives  will  be  saved. 

FRAID. —  You  mean,  sister,  if  I  understand  you 
right,  that  I  shall  persuade  my  husband  to  accept 
Christianity  in  order  to  save  his  life. 

SCHO. —  Not  in  order  to  save  his  life;  nor  shall  he 
profess  the  belief  in  the  Son  of  God  by  word  of 
mouth,  but  by  conviction,  arrived  at  after  prayer 
ful  and  earnest  thinking. 

FRAID. —  If  you  knew  our  people  you  would 
find  it  unreasonable  to  expect  that  the  word  of  a  wo 
man  could  change  the  views  of  the  learned  rabbi. 

SCHO. —  You  may  be  the  instrument  chosen  by 
God. 

FRAID. —  And  if  I  declined  this  call  ?  For  I  feel 
that  the  only  weapon  left  to  us  in  this  battle  against 
injustice  is  heroic  suffering.  I  feel  that  your 
boasted  mercy  is  hypocrisy,  that  your  so-called 
battle  for  truth  is  but  love  of  riches,  craving  for 
power,  and  a  fiendish  delight  in  acts  of  brutality 
hidden  behind  a  pretence  of  humility  ? 

SCHO. —  You  .cannot  decline,  for  you  are  a  wo 
man.  You  do  not  realize  what  your  stubbornness 
and  your  blind  submission  to  the  customs  of  your 
people  mean  for  your  husband.  He  is  on  trial 
under  the  charge  of  murder  and  of  sacrilege. 
Innocent  or  not,  he  will  be  severely  questioned. 


54  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

FRAID. —  He  will  answer  by  telling  the  truth,  and 
he  has  nothing  to  conceal. 

SCHO. —  Maybe!  I  hope  it  for  his  sake.  I  be 
lieve  it  for  yours.  But  his  judges  cannot,  dare  not 
take  his  word  for  it. 

FRAID. —  No  witness,  unless  he  is  malicious,  can 
testify  to  his  guilt. 

SCHO. —  You  do  not  know  what  investigation  in 
court  means.  Your  husband  will  be  put  through 
the  first  test.  His  hands  will  be  tied  behind  his 
back,  they  will  lift  him  up  from  the  ground  by  a 
rope  passing  over  a  pulley  and  let  him  hang  in  this 
way;  and  if  he  will  not  confess  they  will  fasten 
weights  to  his  feet,  increasing  them  every  two 
minutes  until  he  confesses. 

FRAID.  (with  a  shudder}. —  He  will  not,  for  he 
has  nothing  to  confess. 

SCHO. —  If  he  does  not  confess  he  will  faint  from 
exhaustion. 

FRAID. —  And  then  they  will  have  to  free  him 
unless  they  murder  him  outright. 

SCHO. —  You  do  not  know  the  world,  sister, 
although  you  live  in  the  world,  as  they  say.  They 
will  put  him  through  the  second  test.  Do  you 
know  what  this  is  ?  They  will  tie  him  to  a  ladder, 
his  head  strapped  tightly,  so  that  he  cannot  move. 
Strong  ropes  will  be  tied  around  his  arms  and  legs, 
and  the  executioner  will  tie  the  other  end  of  the 
rope  to  his  body  and  throw  his  full  wreight  upon  it. 
The  rope  will  cut  deep  into  his  flesh,  cut  through 
skin,  flesh,  and  muscles,  sometimes  —  I  have  seen 
it  for  I  have  ministered  to  the  poor  wretches  — 
breaking  the  bone.  Take  here  the  thread  which 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  55 

you  use  for  sewing,  tie  it  around  your  finger  and 
pull  the  ends  with  your  teeth  as  hard  as  you  can, 
then  imagine  yourself  lying  naked  on  a  ladder  with 
sharp  rungs  penetrating  your  flesh,  while  you  are 
unable  to  turn  even  your  head  to  seek  relief,  a 
movement  so  natural  to  a  sufferer,  as  you  can  see 
when  standing  by  a  sickbed.  Listen!  can  you,  a 
woman,  think  of  your  husband  suffering  such 
agony  without  even  attempting  to  rescue  him  ? 

FRAID. —  Oh,  spare  me,  spare  me,  sister!  What 
can  I  do  ?  What  have  I  done  to  deserve  such 
cruelty  from  you  ? 

SCHO. —  I  cannot  spare  you,  for  you  must  know 
the  truth,  the  full  truth,  in  order  to  learn  your  duty. 
I  must  tell  you  all.  If  your  husband  shall 
survive  this  torture,  there  is  something  still  worse 
waiting  for  him.  He  will  be  put  on  the  rack,  head 
downward,  and  water  from  a  wet  rag  will  trickle 
down  his  throat,  drop  by  drop.  Small  as  it  may 
seem  in  comparison  with  the  physical  suffering  of 
the  second  degree,  the  sensation  of  choking,  the 
sickness  of  the  stomach,  and  the  dizziness  of  the 
head  are  far  worse  than  any  other  pain  that  can  be 
inflicted  on  a  human  being.  I  have  seen  the  most 
hardened  criminals,  who  have  gone  through  it, 
confess  their  crimes  rather  than  go  through  this 
torture  again.  Can  you  love  your  husband  if 
you  refrain  from  attempting  to  do  what  alone  can 
save  him  ? 

FRAID. —  Sister,  is  this  your  religion  of  love  ? 
The  most  ferocious  brute  does  not  revel  in  such 
devices  to  inflict  misery  upon  its  victim. 

SCHO.—  The  world  has  its  laws.     Our  Church 


56  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

does  not  shed  blood  or  inflict  pain,  but  she  cannot 
stay  the  secular  arm  in  doing  what  is  necessary  to 
punish  evildoers  and  to  prevent  crime. 

FRAID. —  Is  there  nothing  to  save  my  husband 
from  this  terrible  fate  ? 

SCHO. — Nothing,  except  what  I  have  told  you,  and 
you  will  do  it.  It  is  the  advice  of  a  sister, —  of  a 
real  sister.  As  Abigail  Pineiro  I  was  known  in  the 
world.  I  am  the  daughter  of  an  Italian  banker. 
We  are  not  brought  up  as  you  are  here.  I  read 
Dante  and  Petrarch,  played  the  guitar,  and  occa 
sionally  made  a  sonnet.  In  Padua,  where  my 
father  had  his  business  — 

FRAID. —  Padua!  That  is  the  place  where 
Rabbi  Israel  studied. 

SCHO. —  Indeed,  there  are  students  there  from 
all  parts  of  the  world.  They  came  to  our  house  to 
exchange  their  drafts,  and  often  —  I  am  grieved  to 
confess  it — tobororw  money  at  high  rates  of  interest. 
My  father  allowed  me  to  converse  freely  with  them, 
to  read  the  poets,  and  to  play  music.  When  I  had 
completed  my  sixteenth  year,  my  father  decided  to 
marry  me  to  a  wealthy  young  man  of  our  city.  I 
refused,  for  — 

FRAID. —  Your  heart  was  set  on  one  of  your 
Christian  friends.  Your  education  had  taught 
you  to  despise  your  people. 

SCHO. —  You  are  mistaken.  I  loved  a  young 
man,  a  student  at  the  house  of  the  rabbi.  I  had 
hardly  spoken  to  him.  He,  perhaps,  did  not  even 
know  me.  I  myself  was  not  conscious  of  my  love 
for  him  at  that  time.  All  I  know  was,  that  I  \vould 
not  be  the  wife  of  the  man  whom  my  father  con 
sidered  rich  enough  to  make  a  settlement  upon  me 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  57 

equal  to  my  marriage  portion.  I  detested  the  man 
chosen  for  me,  before  I  had  ever  spoken  a  word  to 
him. 

FRAID. —  And  therefore  you  chose  the  convent  ? 

SCHO. —  No,  sister.  My  heart  was  still  set  on  the 
world  and  its  vain  joys,  and  as  my  father  was  de 
termined  to  break  my  will,  I  determined  to  elude 
him.  I  asked  him  to  grant  me  a  few  days  for 
deliberation  and  with  the  aid  of  a  German  student 
who  often  came  to  our  house,  I  availed  myself  of  the 
opportunity  offered  by  Yom  Kippur,*  when  I  was 
alone  in  the  house  and  fled  to  a  village  twenty  miles 
from  Padua,  where  I  found  refuge  in  a  farmer's 
house.  Money  and  jewelry  I  had  taken  along  — 

FRAID. —  On  Yom  Kippur  you  took  money, 
which  was  your  father's  and  drove  in  a  wagon, 
trusting  your  honor  to  a  young  man  who  is  not  of 
our  people  ? 

SCHO. —  I  had  not  turned  away  from  the  Jewish 
faith  yet.  The  young  man  who  posed  as  my  pro 
tector  told  me  that  he  would  take  me  to  his  home 
in  Germany,  where  I  could  live  with  my  people,  and 
where  I  could  earn  a  livelihood  by  teaching  our 
language  and  music.  Soon,  however,  I  discovered 
that  he  desired  me  for  himself  as  men  do  who  look 
upon  woman  as  a  toy  to  satisfy  their  fleeting  passion. 
Fearing  the  danger,  lest,  shunned  by  me,  he  might 
betray  my  hiding-place  to  my  father,  and  feeling 
that  by  my  action  I  had  forfeited  forever  the  love 
of  him  whom  I  loved  above  all  others,  I  went  to  the 
convent  where  I  found  peace  of  soul  and  where 
I  buried  my  passion,  though  my  love  is  still  alive. 
*Day  of  Atonement. 


58  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

FRAID. —  And  you  never  longed  for  father  and 
mother,  or  for  the  sweetness  of  domestic  life  ? 

SCHO. —  You  here  are  raised  in  a  cage  like  the 
poor  songbirds  who  would  not  live  in  freedom, 
because  they  have  unlearned  the  use  of  their  wings. 
You  pass  from  the  father's  hand  to  that  of  the 
husband,  just  as  one  of  those  birds  would  pass  from 
one  cage  into  another,  and  after  fluttering  around 
anxiously  for  a  while  begins  its  life  over  again, 
picking  the  seed  from  the  new  trough  as  if  it  never 
had  known  another.  I  was  raised  in  freedom  and 
would  not  give  it  up. 

FRAID. —  And  your  present  life  —  forgive  my 
frankness  —  has  it  more  freedom  than  you  enjoyed 
under  your  parental  roof? 

SCHO. —  I  have  chosen  it.  My  life  is  of  my  own 
choosing  and  has  a  purpose,  just  as  it  would  have 
had  a  purpose  had  I  found  the  man  I  was  longing 
for. 

FRAID. —  And  you  renounced  all  happiness  of 
woman  for  this  man's  sake  ? 

SCHO. —  I  did.  .  .  .  And  do  you  know  who  he 
was  for  whose  sake  I  left  parents,  for  whose  sake 
I  gave  up  all  that  is  dear  to  a  woman's  heart,  for 
whose  sake  I  renounced  life  and  renounced  a  pros 
pect  for  which  the  companions  of  my  youth  envied 
me  ?  He  was  from  this  country.  We  called  him 
Israel.Tedesco. 

FRAID. —  Sister  Scholastica! 

SCHO. — He  is  Rabbi  Israel  Bruna  now.  If  you 
love  him  as  I  did  —  as  I  do  now,  in  spite  of  my  vows, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  is  the  husband  of  another 
woman,  and  in  spite  of  my  acquiescence  in  this 


ISRAEL  BRUNA 


59 


fact  —  you  will  do  what  is  the  only  means  of  saving 
his  life.  I  hear  the  shrieks  of  agony  as  he  is  placed 
on  the  rack;  I  see  the  executioner  approaching  him 
with  hot  iron  and  with  burning  sulphur  to  increase 
his  pain.  I  see  him  gasp  for  breath,  I  see  him 
faint,  I  see  him  slowly  reviving  to  become  more 
wretched  than  before.  And  you  are  sitting  here 
quietly,  enjoying  life  and  health,  while  every  bone 
in  his  body  is  aching  — 

FRAID. —  Sister,  if  you  really  loved  him  you 
would  know  him,  and  if  you  knew  him  you  would 
see  that  it  is  hopeless  to  expect  that  he  would  re 
nounce  his  religion  in  order  to  save  his  life. 

SCHO. —  But  if  you  love  him  you  will  do  it.  If 
you  see  the  truth  of  that  faith  vvhich  the  God  of  the 
Universe  has  endowed  with  the  power  to  conquer 
the  world,  your  conversion  will  be  a  source  of  grati 
fication  to  the  holy  man  whose  whole  life  is  given  to 
the  winning  of  souls.  He  will  see  in  it  a  sign  from 
heaven,  encouraging  him  in  his  labors,  and  he  may 
grant  you  the  life  of  your  husband.  He  will.  I 
shall  unite  my  efforts  with  yours.  Come  with  me, 
sister;  sister  in  flesh  and  sister  in  suffering!  Be 
my  sister  in  spirit!  The  Saint  will  speak  to  you. 
God  has  given  him  wronderful  powers  over  human 
souls.  The  light  of  truth  will  appear  to  your  be- 
dimmed  eyes  and  you  will  save  that  life  which 
ought  to  be  so  precious  to  you.  Come,  sister, 
come  at  once! 

FRAID. —  Would  I  not  lose  him  if  I  thus  s'aved 
his  life  ? 

SCHO. —  How  selfish!  To  think  of  yourself 
when  you  ought  to  think  of  him  and  of  nothing  else. 

(Knock  at  the  door.} 


60  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

SCENE  V 
Enter  MEINHARD.     SCHOLASTICA  startled. 

MEINHARD. —  Has  my  appearance  frightened 
you  ?  I  hoped  to  find  you  here.  I  have  been 
longing  for  this  opportunity  for  years. 

SCHO. —  I  am  here  to  minister  to  those  who  need 
me;  others  may  not  speak  to  me  without  the  consent 
of  my  prioress. 

MEIN. —  And  if  I  asked  for  a  short  interview  on 
the  ground  of  our  former  relationship  ? 

SCHO. —  It  would  be  the  same.  My  duty  is 
defined  by  the  laws  of  my  order. 

FRAID. —  The  yoke  of  the  law  which  you  boast 
of  having  broken. 

SCHO. —  Mock  as  you  will.  I  have  chosen  and  I 
have  found  my  peace  in  the  law  of  love. 

FRAID. —  That  love  which  permits  you  to  sneak 
into  peaceful  homes  and  reward  hospitality  with 
slander,  plots  of  murder,  and  destruction. 

MEIN. —  Forgive,  good  lady.  Your  reproach 
does  not  strike  me.  Konrad  invited  me  to  see  a 
Jewish  ceremony  and  a  handsome  woman.  He 
kept  his  promise  in  both  respects.  The  only  part 
of  the  plot  to  which  I  had  pledged  myself  was  to 
disappear  when  noise  in  the  street  would  forebode 
trouble. 

FRAID. —  And  the  corpse  of  the  child  ? 

MEIN. —  I  knew  nothing  of  its  existence.  I  was 
told  that  it  was  necessary  to  carry  a  bundle  in  order 
that  we  may  appear  as  strangers  who  had  just 
arrived  in  the  city. 

FRAID. —  But  now  you  know  that  this  bundle 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  61 

was  brought  by  your  friend.  Does  not  your  honor 
require  that  you  confess  the  truth  and  save  the 
victims  of  tyranny  ?  I  was  told  that  this  was  the 
first  duty  to  which  a  knight  is  pledged. 

MEIN. —  How  noble  you  are,  good  lady,  to  think 
so  highly  of  us!  If  I  came  before  the  tribunal  and 
made  such  a  confession  they  would  say  that  I  had 
been  bought  by  the  Jews,  and  my  testimony  would 
help  you  no  more  than  your  husband's  protestations 
of  innocence. 

FRAID. —  Sister  Scholastica,  your  religion  teaches 
you  to  gather  in  the  outcast,  but  forbids  you  to 
vindicate  the  innocent  and  to  tell  the  truth  when 
falsehood  is  advantageous  to  your  schemes  of  power 
and  wealth. 

MEIN. —  Fair  lady,  if  your  preachment  is  meant 
for  me  it  is  directed  to  the  wrong  person.  I  have 
no  share  in  these  ecclesiastical  quibbles.  My  cup  is 
not  the  cup  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  but  the  cup  of  the 
convivial  table.  This  world  belongs  not  to  the 
just,  but  to  the  powerful.  Righteousness  is  with 
the  strongest  sword  and  the  weak  cause  is  always 
wrong. 

SCHO. —  You  blaspheme! 

MEIN. —  Maybe!  Some  people  call  it  so.  But 
when  I  knew  you  as  Abigail  Pineiro  you  were  not 
shocked  by  the  religion  which  teaches  that  joy  is 
goodness  and  the  law  of  life  the  law  of  righteousness. 

SCHO. —  It  may  have  been  through  you  that  I 
learned  to  see  in  resignation  true  joy,  and  in  doing 
good  to  others  my  highest  duty. 

MEIN. —  Let  us  not  spoil  this  opportunity  with 
childish  quarrels.  The  occasion  is  too  serious  and 


62  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

too  rare.  It  will,  perhaps,  never  return.  I  know, 
I  feel,  that  it  cannot  be  your  earnest  desire  to  live 
this  life  of  self-deception  forever,  Abigail.  You 
despised  me  because  you  believed  that  I  was 
trifling  with  your  life  and  that  I  wanted  to  make 
you  miserable  for  the  sake  of  a  frivolous  pleasure. 
Perhaps  you  were  right  then,  I  misunderstood  you, 
I  misunderstood  myself,  I  felt  deeper  than  I  knew. 
Since  you  took  the  veil  I  have  not  had  a  moment's 
rest.  I  accused  myself  of  having  destroyed  your 
life.  I  say  it  here  in  the  presence  of  this  afflicted 
woman.  You  take  interest  in  her  husband's  lot. 
The  pathos  of  love  has  touched  your  heart;  the 
recollections  of  your  youth  have  come  back  to  you, 
for  you  plead  again  the  cause  of  your  people. 
You  wish  to  see  the  rabbi  free.  Am  I  right  ? 

SCHO. —  You  are.  Why  should  I  wish  to  conceal 
it? 

Mein. —  You  wish  to  help  him.  I  shall  assist 
you. 

FRAID. —  Good  Sir  Knight!  The  Lord  has 
shown  you  the  way  to  our  home. 

SCHO. —  Do  you  plan  an  act  of  violence,  Mein- 
hard,  or  do  you  expect  to  arm  the  enemies  of  our 
faith  against  the  Saint  ? 

MEIN. —  Leave  your  Saint  alone!  I  have  fol 
lowed  his  army  long  enough  to  know  something 
about  his  saintliness. 

SCHO. —  Beware,  Knight  Meinhard!  No  one 
will  put  forth  his  hand  against  the  Lord's  anointed, 
and  be  guiltless! 

MEIN. —  Don't  worry,  Abigail.  He  may  go  on 
and  heal  the  lame  and  the  blind,  as  far  as  I  am 
concerned. 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  63 

FRAID. —  Oh,  pray,  pray  tell  me  what  I — what 
can  be  done  to  free  my  husband  ?  Shall  I  go  to  the 
priest  ? 

MEIN. —  It  would  be  of  no  avail.  He  knows  no 
human  feelings.  But  I  can  influence  him.  My 
father  is  the  burgomaster  and  hates  Capistrano. 
He  hates  that  fanaticism  which  uses  the  Jews  as 
scapegoats  in  order  to  cater  to  the  low  instincts 
of  the  rabble.  He  denounces  the  policy  which 
drives  them  to  usury,  and  then  murders  and  robs 
them  for  that  crime. 

FRAID. —  Oh,  you  are  the  first  Christian  I  met 
who  is  just  to  our  people.  How  often  has  my 
husband  denounced  the  merciless  usurers! 

MEIN. —  You  may  perhaps  overestimate  my 
love  for  Israel  and  my  faith  in  their  goodness,  for  I, 
or  rather  my  father,  paid  dear  for  their  readiness 
to  help.  Sister  Scholastica  would  be  able  to  tell 
you  something  about  it,  had  her  father  allowed  her 
some  insight  into  his  books.  Two  soldi  for  every 
scudo  a  week  I  had  to  pay  when  I  had  spent  my 
money  before  the  next  draft  arrived,  and  sure 
enough,  that  happened  each  time. 

SCHO. —  You  know  that  I  had  no  share  in  his 
business  transactions. 

MEIN. — I  readily  grant  it,  Abigail,  but  I  loved  you 
in  spite  of  all  that.  I  went  to  your  father's  bank, 
although  Samson  Monselice  offered  me  a  loan  at 
one  soldo.  I  went  to  your  father  because  I  wished  to 
see  you,  and  for  your  sake  to-day  I  shall  do  my 
best  to  save  the  Rabbi. 

FRAID. —  You  spoke  to  me  as  a  sister,  give  him  a 
word  of  encouragement. 


64  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

MEIN. —  My  father  stays  the  rebellion.  Some 
Councillors  and  many  of  the  city  people  are  for  the 
Hussites.  If  my  father  will  threaten  to  join  them, 
should  the  disorder  not  be  checked,  Capistrano  will 
release  his  victims.  Your  saint  possesses  some 
practical  wisdom  and  does  not  always  trust  in  his 
miracles. 

SCHO. —  And  you  will  advise  your  father  to 
threaten  brother  John  with  such  intentions  ? 

MEIN.—  I  will. 

SCHO. —  And  what  part  shall  I  play  in  this 
scheme  ? 

MEIN. —  None  whatever!  You  shall  rend  the 
veil  which  obscures  your  eyes.  You  shall  open 
your  heart  and  be  what  you  have  been.  I  shall  con 
ceal  you  safely  with  me  for  a  few  weeks  and  then 
you  shall  follow  me  to  your  sunny  home.  I  shall 
go  as  ambassador  to  the  Court  of  Naples.  No  one 
will  know  you  there,  and  you  will  live  the  life  of 
which  you  dreamed  when  I  first  saw  you. 

SCHO. —  Knight  Meinhard,  you  misjudge  me. 
I  shall  preserve  the  peace  of  my  soul,  even  at  the 
cost  of  that  life  for  which  I  would  gladly  lay  down 
my  own. 

FRAID. —  O  sister,  did  you  not  teach  me  to  sink 
myself  before  him  whom  I  love  ? 

SCHO. —  I  cannot.  I  can  give  my  life,  but  not 
my  soul. 

MEIN. —  Do  you  know  Rabbi  Israel  ? 

SCHO. —  I  did  know  him  when  I  was  very  young. 

MEIN. —  You  were  a  woman  then,  and  woman 
you  remained  even  in  your  cloister.  The  law  of 
your  order  is  the  law  of  your  life.  Abigail,  I  can 
understand  you. 


ACT  IV 

SCENE  I 

Chapel  in  the  Franciscan  convent.     SCHOLASTICA, 
CAPISTRANO. 

SCHOLASTICA  (kneeling  before  the  confessional}. — 
Man  of  God,  I  accuse  myself  of  sinful  lust.  I  had 
hoped  to  deaden  the  flesh  when  I  took  the  veil,  and 
for  years  I  thought  that  I  had  succeeded.  But 
since  I  followed  your  host,  desirous  of  living  in  the 
shadow  of  your  sancity,  and  to  minister  unto  the  sick 
and  the  wounded  of  your  army,  the  world  has  risen 
in  me  anew. 

CAPISTRANO. —  Did  you  implore  the  aid  of  the 
Holy  Virgin,  my  daughter  ? 

SCHO. —  At  night,  when  my  thoughts  troubled 
me,  I  slipped  out  of  my  cell  into  the  church  and 
knelt  at  the  altar  of  the  Mater  Dolorosa.  By  the 
dim  light  of  the  oil  lamp,  which  some  pious 
Christian  had  placed  before  the  picture,  I  noticed 
a  stern  look  of  rebuke  in  her  eyes. 

CAPIS. —  You  must  not  be  deterred  by  such  a  sign. 
It  may  be  a  mere  delusion,  produced  by  Satan,  who 
troubles  your  soul. 

SCHO. —  Holy  man  of  God,  it  was  not  a  delusion. 
I  saw  it  as  distinctly  as  I  used  to  see  the  expression 
of  pain,  coupled  with  compassion,  in  the  face  of  my 
mother  when  she  rebuked  me.  I  could  see  the 
frown  on  her  forehead  and  the  motion  of  her  eyes 
as  I  can  see  the  lines  on  your  face  now. 


66  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

CAPIS. —  Suppose  it  were  so.  Implore  the  aid 
of  the  Holy  Virgin  again,  pray  to  her  in  earnestness 
and  zeal. 

SCHO. —  I  did,  night  after  night.  I  prayed  to 
her,  who  had  given  up  her  Son  to  a  death  of  igno 
miny,  because  it  was  the  will  of  the  Father.  I  im 
plored  her  to  teach  me  to  despise  the  world  for  the 
Son's  sake. 

CAPIS.—  And  ? 

SCHO. —  It  came  as  a  ray  of  benign  light  from 
her  eyes,  a'nd,  comforted,  I  returned  to  my  cell. 

CAPIS. —  Thou  hast  been  deemed  worthy  of  a 
sign  of  grace,  my  daughter.  Did  this  sign  ever 
repeat  itself? 

SCHO. —  It  did  not,  and  this  makes  me  more 
miserable.  It  began  Wednesday  of  the  Passion 
week,  just  that  night  when  the  trouble  arose  with 
the  Jews.  The  following  night  I  was  sorely 
tempted  by  the  Evil  One.  I  could  hear  the  sweet 
tones  of  the  lute,  and  I  saw  myself  on  the  hills 
around  Lake  Como.  I  saw  the  vintner's  feast  with 
dancing  and  singing  girls.  I  saw  my  father  at  the 
table  covered  with  dainties,  and  the  brass  candela 
bra  over  it,  making  the  room  radiant  with  light. 
I  saw  my  mother,  dressed  in  white  silk  with  a  pearl 
necklace  and  a  gold  brooch  at  her  neck.  She  held 
her  arms  open  as  she  used  to  do  when  I  was  a  child. 
Horrorstricken,  I  fled  to  the  church  and  knelt  be 
fore  the  picture.  But  all  that  I  saw  was  a  stern 
look  of  reproach,  and  my  mother  passing  between 
me  and  the  Virgin,  stretching  out  her  arms,  and 
since  that  night  my  peace  has  gone. 

CAPIS. —  Thou    hast    forgotten    the    Saviour's 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  67 

words :  "  I  have  no  mother."  It  is  Satan's  old  trick 
of  tickling  the  flesh.  Didst  thou  chastise  thy  flesh  ? 

SCHO. —  I  did,  holy  man  of  God.  I  fasted  and 
lashed  myself  till  the  blood  streamed  down  my 
back;  and  this  morning,  during  the  mass,  I  fainted 
from  exhaustion,  so  that  the  mother  superior  for 
bade  me  to  continue  my  penance. 

CAPIS. —  Hast  thou  vowed  to  continue  this  life 
of  penance  ? 

SCHO. —  I  have. 

CAPIS. —  And  thou  wishest  to  be  released  of  thy 
vows  ? 

SCHO. —  No,  saintly  father!  I  asked  the  mother 
superior  to  let  me  seek  thy  advice.  Man  of  God, 
I  have  seen  thee  heal  the  blind  and  the  lame.  May 
I  not  say  unto  thee,  even  as  the  poor  sinner  said 
unto  our  glorious  Saviour,  "Help  my  unbelief  ?" 

CAPIS. —  Satan  conjured  up  before  thee  the  pic 
tures  of  thy  father  and  thy  mother.  Didst  thou  not 
see  any  other  vision  ?  Conceal  nothing  from  me. 
A  little  fact  may  help  to  show  the  crevice  through 
which  Satan  enters  thy  soul. 

SCHO. —  I  conceal  nothing,  man  of  God.  How 
could  I,  asking  thy  help  ? 

CAPIS. —  Have  thy  thoughts  returned  to  a  friend 
of  thy  youth,  for  wThose  sake  thou  hast  sought  refuge 
behind  the  sacred  walls  of  the  convent  ? 

SCHO. —  My  father,  thine  eye  penetrates  into  the 
innermost  chambers  of  my  heart,  although,  v,  hen 
I  chose  the  life  of  holiness  it  was  not  for  man's  sake. 
I  had  lost  the  faith  of  my  fathers,  and  my  heart 
panted  for  the  real  joy  of  life,  which  neither  music 
nor  poetry  nor  the  convivial  table  could  give  me. 


68  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

I  was  disgusted  with  the  selfishness  of  men,  who 
recklessly  sacrificed  the  lives  of  women  to  their 
crude,  carnal  pleasures,  and  therefore  I  resolved  to 
live  for  others. 

CAPIS. —  Examine  thyself  closely,  my  daughter. 
Were  all  the  men  whom  thou  hast  met  in  the  world 
so  selfish  as  thou  hast  described  them  ? 

SCHO. —  When  a  mere  child,  not  being  quite 
fifteen,  I  knew  a  man  who  was  as  near  Christian 
perfection  as  any  one  of  our  people  could  come. 
He  was  always  calm,  desiring  no  earthly  advantage 
for  himself,  and  always  willing  to  help  others.  He 
never  had  an  unkind  word  even  for  Christians, 
who  treated  us  not  as  Christ  said  we  should  treat 
our  enemies. 

CAPIS. —  Didst  thou  enter  the  monastery  because 
he  spurned  thee  ? 

SCHO. —  He  never  knew  of  my  affection,  nor  did 
I  know  of  it  myself,  until  my  father  wanted  me  to 
marry  another  man. 

CAPIS. —  What  brought  thy  thoughts  back  to 
him  at  this  time  ? 

SCHO. —  I  learned  that  he  was  in  danger  and  the 
desire  has  come  over  me,  not  to  possess,  but  to 
help  him. 

CAPIS. —  Why  is  he  in  danger  ? 

SCHO. —  God  has  given  thee  the  power  to  read 
men's  souls.  I  would  not  conceal  aught  before 
thee.  I  am  speaking  of  Rabbi  Israel. 

CAPIS.  (startled}. —  Israel  ?  That  son  of  Belial  ? 
Dost  thou  know  that  he  is  charged  with  the  heinous 
crime  of  murder  and  blasphemy,  that  he  crucified 
an  innocent  child  in  order  to  mock  our  belief  in  the 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  69 

sacrifice  of  Jesus,  who  offered  up  His  body  in  order 
that  mankind  shall  be  redeemed  from  sin  ? 

SCHO. —  Holy  man  of  God,  I  owe  thee  my  life. 
Thou  hast  shown  me  the  path  of  truth,  but  in  this 
case  thou  art  mistaken.  I  do  not  know  whether 
Jews  ever  perpetrated  such  an  abomination. 

CAPIS. —  Is  Satan  beginning  to  lure  thee  back 
to  the  atrocious  superstitions  of  thy  youth  ? 

SCHO. —  Superstition.  Let  me  confess  it.  I 
saw  a  great  deal  of  it  at  home.  They  used  to  save 
a  piece  of  their  unleavened  bread  from  Easter  to 
Easter,  saying  that  it  was  a  protection  against  evil 
spirits.  And  sometimes  I  think  that  what  I  see 
about  relics  and  sacred  water  is  not  different. 

CAPIS. —  My  daughter,  my  daughter!  Satan  has 
widened  the  crevice  in  thy  heart  and  can  enter  it 
freely. 

SCHO. —  My  father.  Help  my  unbelief,  and  I 
shall  blindly  follow  thy  teachings  for  the  Holy 
Virgin  has  chosen  thee  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind. 

CAPIS.  (flattered}. —  Apage,  Satanas.  (Making  the 
sign  of  the  cross.)  Thou  canst  not  win  me  over  by 
flattery.  How  knowest  thou  ? 

SCHO. —  When  the  Holy  Virgin  smiled  on  me  in 
that  one  glorious  night,  her  eyes  turned  in  the  di 
rection  of  St.  Francis's  altar.  I  followed  her,  and 
in  the  midnight  darkness  of  the  church  I  could  see 
thy  figure  loom  up,  and  I  saw  St.  Francis  lifting  up 
his  hands  to  bless  thee. 

CAPIS. —  Art  thou  sure  this  was  not  a  delusion  ? 

SCHO. —  My  father,  it  was  a  vision,  as  clear  as  the 
appearance  of  the  Holy  Virgin. 

CAPIS. —  And  thou  couldst  testify  to  it  before  the 
bishop  and  the  brothers  of  the  convent  ? 


70  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

SCHO. —  I  can  and  I  will,  as  I  hope  that  by  the 
grace  of  God,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Virgin,  and  the 
intercession  of  the  saints,  I  shall  enter  the  king 
dom  of  heaven. 

CAPIS. —  Thy  faith  is  strong,  my  daughter,  and  I 
trust,  that  whatever  Satan's  wiles  may  be,  they  will 
never  entice  thee  away  from  the  path  of  Christ. 

SCHO. —  And  mayest  thou  be  my  guide  in  all 
temptation,  thou  beloved  disciple  of  thy  master, 
St.  Francis.  But  thou  who  knowest  human 
hearts  as  no  other  man  does,  wilt  know  that  I 
speak  the  truth  when  I  declare  that  I  never  saw 
nor  heard,  in  my  Jewish  life,  of  any  law  or  custom 
demanding  the  sacrifice  of  Christian  children. 

CAPIS. —  They  are  shrewd,  these  sons  of  hell, 
and  know  how  to  hide  their  practices  from  those 
who  might  betray  them. 

SCHO. —  Even  if  they  do  practice  such  horrors, 
I  am  sure  that  this  man  Israel  is  incapable  of  doing 
so.  I  saw  him  plunge  into  a  swollen  stream,  and, 
at  the  peril  of  his  life,  rescue  a  Christian  child, 
that  was  being  carried  away  by  the  flood.  I  saw 
him  during  the  terrible  plague  carry  food  and 
water  to  the  stricken  houses  which  many  Christians 
were  afraid  to  approach. 

CAPIS. —  If  this  man,  while  sitting  in  darkness, 
practises  Christian  virtues,  may  he  not  be  brought 
into  the  full  light  of  the  ttuth  ?  Perhaps  he  is 
chosen  to  lift  the  veil  from  the  eyes  of  his  people. 

SCHO. —  I  spoke  to  his  wife  about  it,  but  she 
would  not  listen. 

CAPIS. —  Thou  must  not  slacken  in  the  service 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  71 

of  the  Lord.  It  is  the  arch  enemy,  again,  who 
whispers  in  thine  ear  that  all  thine  efforts  are  bound 
to  be  futile.  Perhaps  thy  doubts  and  thy  torments 
are  divinely  ordained  to  help  thee  win  a  precious 
soul  for  Christ,  who  holds  out  His  hand  to  a  re 
bellious  people. 

SCHO. —  Canst  thou  hold  out  no  other  hope  ? 
Canst  thou  show  me  no  ray  of  light  ?  Holy  man 
of  God,  whom  the  Mother  of  God  pointed  out  to 
me  as  the  healer  of  my  soul,  canst  thou  offer  no 
.balm  for  my  wound  ? 

CAPIS. —  God  is  merciful  to  sinners.  He  will 
let  no  soul  perish  that  trusteth  in  Him.  Offer 
Him  the  gift  of  thy  heart.  Ask  the  Virgin  of  per 
petual  help  to  give  thee  strength  to  do  thy  duty. 

SCHO. —  My  father,  is  there  no  hope  for  the 
innocent  victim  ? 

CAPIS. —  The  soul  that  sinneth  will  die,  death 
temporal  and  eternal. 

SCENE  II 

CAPISTRANO  leaves  the  confessional  suddenly. 
MEINHARD  and  FRAIDLIN  have  shortly  before  en 
tered  the  chapel  and  remained  in  the  background. 
As  CAPISTRANO  leaves  the  confessional,  MEINHARD 
advances. 

MEINHARD. —  My  father,  thou  art  wise  as  thou 
art  pious  and  wilt  not  despise  a  word  of  warning 
when  it  comes  from  the  humblest  of  thy  children. 

CAPIS. —  The  wisdom  of  the  world  is  strange  to 
me.  "  I  glory  in  the  foolishness  of  God,  which  is 


72  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

wiser  than  men."  What  you  men  of  the  sword 
and  of  the  council  offer  as  wisdom  is  to  yield  right 
before  might.  But  whom  bringest  thou  here  ? 

MEIN. —  She  is  of  Israel's  benighted  children, 
the  wife  of  the  man  who  faces  death  for  murder 
and  blasphemy. 

CAPIS. —  The  wife  of  the  Rabbi,  that  arch-fiend, 
who  tortured  an  innocent  child  to  death  ?  If  thou 
comest  to  offer  money  in  ransom  thou  comest  in 
vain.  If  thou  hopest  pardon,  tell  me  what  thou 
knowest;  but  the  whole  truth!  No  subterfuges! 

FRAID. —  The  whole  truth!  Well  then.  As  thou 
believest  to  obey  the  call  of  my  master,  my  husband 
is  innocent. 

CAPIS. —  And  in  order  to  tell  me  this  thou  hast 
brought  Knight  Meinhard  as  witness.  A  suspicious 
witness  indeed!  One  who  was  found  in  thy  com 
pany  when  the  deed  was  committed;  a  Christian 
who  forgot  his  obligations  so  far  as  to  participate, 
and  be  it  merely  as  a  passive  bystander  in  the  feast 
of  Satan.  A  son  of  our  Holy  Church  who  is  not 
altogether  free  from  the  suspicion  of  heresy! 

MEIN. —  Father!  This  to  me  who  has  taken  the 
cross  and  sworn  to  stamp  out  heresy  ? 

CAPIS. —  Just  the  same,  there  are  wolves  in  the 
fold.  Your  father  put  stumbling-blocks  in  our 
way.  He  refused  to  let  me  try  these  wretches  be 
fore  the  ecclesiastic  tribunal,  wishing  to  prove 
from  musty  parchments  that  our  tribunal,  con 
firmed  by  the  Holy  Father,  is  an  encroachment  on 
the  privileges  of  the  city.  He  has  even  sent  mes 
sengers  to  our  gracious  lord,  the  King,  hoping  to 
beguile  his  youth.  But  the  heart  of  the  King  is  in 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  73 

the  hand  of  God.  I  shall  prove  that  your  father 
favors  heresy.  He  often  allowed  the  heretics,  in 
spite  of  the  warning  of  the  bishop,  to  indulge  in 
their  blasphemous  feasts.  The  reputation  of  this 
good  Christian  city  has  been  dragged  in  the  mire 
through  him,  when  he  permitted  these  heretics 
to  march  behind  the  chalice. 

MEIN. —  My  father  has  indeed  not  consented  to 
my  taking  the  cross,  but  you  do  him  an  injustice 
when  you  say  that  he  favors  the  infidels.  He 
merely  is  opposed  to  severe  measures,  which,  he 
fears,  will  drive  this  city  into  the  camp  of  the 
enemy,  because  many  aldermen  will  side  with  the 
Hussites,  and  because  your  persecution  of  the  Jews 
will  bring  their  wealth  to  the  assistance  of  the 
enemy. 

CAPIS. —  Has  not  this  ungodly  Mammon  already 
secured  them  assistance?  I  know  little  of  the 
world,  Knight  Meinhard,  nor  do  I  wish  to  be 
dragged  into  its  unholy  affairs.  But  some  wit 
nesses  in  this  trial  assert  that  there  are  nobles, 
connected  with  the  most  prominent  families  of  this 
city  who  have  mortgaged  not  only  their  estates  and 
their  jewelry,  but  even  their  very  souls  to  the  ene 
mies  of  Christ. 

MEIN. —  My  father,  how  you  misjudge  me!  I 
would  not  deny  it,  and  could  not,  for  you  are  a 
Saint,  as  holy  as  any  we  invoke  in  the  litany. 

CAPIS.  (with  jeigned  humility). —  Apage  Satanas! 
Do  not  tempt  me,  for  I  am  but  a  mortal.  Apage 
Satanas !  (Makes  the  sign  of  the  cross.) 

MEIN. —  Forgive  me,  father.  But  I  may  say 
that  I  am  a  sinner  and  my  debts  are  the  wages  of 


74  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

sin.     Yet  I  owe  nobody  my  soul.     The  man  to 
whom  I  am  indebted  —  But  you  care  not  for  the 
things  of  this  world. 

CAPIS. —  If  they  help  to  strengthen  the  kingdom 
of  God  you  may  talk  of  them  freely. 

MEIN. —  This  is  above  the  plain  mind  of  the 
soldier.  I  should  hate  to  offend  you  with  worldly 
talk. 

CAPIS. —  I  shall  not  be  offended  unless  your  tale 
be  one  of  your  boastful  stories  of  sin. 

MEIN. —  My  father,  God  forbid  that  I  should 
thus  offend  your  ears.  You  wrongly  suspect  me  of 
favoring  the  Jews  for  the  sake  of  my  creditors 
among  them.  Listen  then;  the  man  to  whom  I 
am  indebted  has  given  aid  to  the  Hussites.  Of 
me  he  takes  in  order  to  pile  up  wealth;  to  the 
Hussites  he  gives  because  he  hates  Christendom. 

CAPIS. —  And  you  did  not  tell  me  of  this  story 
as  soon  as  you  learned  of  it  ? 

MEIN. —  I  feared  to  trouble  thee,  holy  man  of 
God,  with  affairs  of  this  sinful  world. 

CAPIS. — You  are  very  delicate,  Knight  Meinhard. 
But  tell  me,  is  your  creditor  among  the  prisoners  ? 

MEIN. —  He  is  at  liberty,  for  he  knows  how  to 
escape  the  watchfulness  of  men  like  you,  my 
father,  who  are  too  inexperienced  in  the  ways  of  the 
world.  The  aldermen  are  his  debtors. 

CAPIS. —  Inexperienced  as  I  am  in  the  affairs  of 
this  world,  it  would  seem  to  me  that  these  debtors 
should  be  glad  to  deliver  him  to  the  tribunal. 
Would  you  not  think  so,  Knight  Meinhard  ? 

MEIN. —  Indeed  thou  art  a  man  of  God,  for  thou 
knowest  not  the  wiles  of  this  world.  If  this  Jew 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  75 

be  imprisoned  and  his  property  seized  for  the 
King's  treasury,  these  debtors  would  have  to  pay 
to  the  King  who  wrould  not  be  likely  to  show  them 
any  mercy,  while  the  Jew,  as  matters  stand  now, 
has  to  make  concessions. 

CAPIS. —  And  the  Jew  ? 

MEIN. —  He  saves  himself  for  the  time  being. 
As  to  the  future  he  counts  on  the  Hussites,  whose 
new  Fort  Tabor  was  built  with  money  extorted 
from  the  Catholics. 

CAPIS. —  Are  you  sure  that  your  desire  to  get 
rid  of  debt  is  not  at  the  bottom  of  these  charges  ? 
The  Church  will  not  tolerate  the  machinations  of 
her  enemies,  but  she  will  not  serve  as  a  tool  of  those 
who,  by  a  pretence  of  serving  her,  wish  to  escape 
the  consequences  of  a  life  of  libertinism. 

MEIN. —  How  you  misjudge  me,  man  of  God,  to 
whom  I  looked  up  as  the  model  of  justice  and 
charity! 

CAPIS.  (murmuring). —  Apage  Satanas.  Holy 
St.  Francis,  banish  from  my  thoughts  vanity  and 
evil  inclinations.  (Crosses  himself — aloud.)  Wife 
of  the  Rabbi,  what  knowest  thou  of  thy  people's 
alliance  with  the  enemies  of  the  Church  ? 

FRAID. —  I  know  nothing  of  what  passes  in  the 
world,  outside  of  our  quarter.  My  father  taught 
me  to  honor  those  whom  God  has  placed  in  author 
ity,  and  not  to  rebel  against  them,  though  their 
rule  be  harsh. 

CAPIS. —  Thou  puttest  thy  words  wisely  indeed, 
and  showest  good  judgment.  What  is  thy  name, 
my  daughter  ? 

FRAID. —  They  call  me  Fraidlin,  father. 


76  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

CAPIS. —  Fraidlin.  This  means  joy  in  your 
language.  Is  it  not  so  ? 

MEIN. —  Indeed  it  is  wonderful  how  well  thou 
hast  learned  to  understand  the  barbarous  sounds 
of  our  northern  tongue.  This  is  surely  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  has  chosen  thee  for  thy 
great  mission. 

CAPIS.  (murmuring}. —  Apage  Satanas.  Fortify 
me,  St.  Francis,  against  temptations  and  vanity. 
(Crosses  himself;  turning  to  FRAIDLIN.)  Does  thy 
husband  teach  as  thy  father  did  ? 

FRAID. —  Certainly  he  does.  And  he  said  it 
recently  in  my  hearing  to  Pethahiah,  the  elder  of 
our  community. 

CAPIS. —  This  Pethahiah,  who  offered  the  council 
a  large  sum  to  defray  the  cost  of  my  sojourn!  He 
and  thy  husband  are  very  close  friends,  I  under 
stand. 

FRAID. —  Thou  art  misinformed,  father,  Petha 
hiah  is  not  my  husband's  friend. 

MEIN. —  Even  I  could  have  told  you  that,  little 
as  I  know  about  the  spiritual  affairs  of  Israel's 
community. 

CAPIS. —  And  how  did  you  learn  of  it  ? 

MEIN. —  Everybody  knows  that  Pethahiah  re 
fused  to  contribute  anything  to  the  cost  of  the 
rabbi's  trial. 

CAPIS. —  The  man  loves  Mammon. 

MEIN. —  It  is  not  this  alone,  for  in  such  a  case 
the  Jew  considers  it  a  meritorious  piece  of  Work  to 
help  his  brother-Jew.  But  Pethahiah's  only  son 
became  a  Christian  and  the  Rabbi  is  said  to  have 
preached  that  this  was  a  divine  punishment  for 


ISRAEL  BRUNA 


77 


Pethahiah's  sins,  who  brought  the  ill-will  of  the 
Christians  on  the  Jews  by  his  heartless  usury. 

CAPIS. —  Is  this  true,  Fraidlin  ? 

FRAID. —  Not  quite,  father.  My  husband  would 
not  easily  reprove  a  sinner  publicly,  but  he  told 
Pethahiah  so  in  our  own  house  on  the  day  of  our 
misfortune. 

CAPIS. —  And  is  it  true  that  Pethahiah  refused 
to  contribute  to  thy  husband's  release  ? 

FRAID. —  This  is  true. 

CAPIS. —  And  this  heartless  moneybag,  who  is 
dead  to  the  entreaties  of  his  own  people,  is  also 
a  traitor  to  our  gracious  King,  and  a  supporter  of 
his  enemies  and  those  of  our  Holy  Mother  Church! 
Is  this  so,  Fraidlin  ? 

FRAID. —  We  women  of  Israel  care  not  about  the 
men's  business.  I  know  not  whether  he  desires 
your  victory  or  the  victory  of  those  who  march 
behind  the  chalice. 

CAPIS. —  This  is  their  old  trick  of  playing  the 
innocent,  just  as  their  spies  had  instructed  Rahab. 
Oh,  generation  of  vipers! 

SCHO. —  Man  of  God,  she  speaks  the  truth. 
The  women  of  Israel  are  never  consulted  in  affairs 
of  the  community.  They  are  the  housekeepers 
and  bearers  of  children. 

CAPIS.  (to  FRAIDLIN). —  Have  your  people  not 
met  Prokop,  the  priest  who  desecrated  his  orders 
when  he  returned  from  one  of  his  highway  rob 
beries  which  he  calls  battles  ?  Did  they  not 
furnish  him  bread  and  wine  ? 

FRAID. —  I  do  not  know,  Father  Johannes. 

CAPIS. —  Do    not    call    me    father.     Call    me 


78  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

brother,  for  I  mean  well  with  thee.  Did  not  this 
man  Pethahiah  expostulate  with  thy  husband  for 
approving  of  your  people's  attitude. 

FRAID. —  No,  brother  Johannes.  Pethahiah 
wished  these  people  to  be  punished  and  Rabbi 
Israel  said  we  should  not  be  too  severe  with  any  one 
who  did  wrong.  He  never  advised  anything  against 
our  King's  will. 

CAPIS. —  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  for  thy  voice  has 
the  ring  of  truth. 

MEIN. —  The  Rabbi  is  innocent  of  any  plot.  His 
life  is  turned  away  from  the  affairs  of  the  world. 

CAPIS. —  Why  are  you  so  eager  to  plead  his 
cause,  Knight  Meinhard  ?  Will  he  make  that  old 
Pethahiah  release  his  grip  on  you  ? 

MEIN. —  I  broke  bread  at  his  house.  I  came 
as  a  stranger  and  he  bade  me  welcome  and  seated 
me  at  his  table.  It  was  the  night  when  he  was 
arrested.  I  would  not  wish  harm  to  befall  him 
through  me. 

CAPIS. —  Through  you!  You  mean  through  his 
devilish  sacrifices  in  which  you  participated. 
Those  services  of  Satan  bewitched  you. 

MEIN. —  Curiosity  brought  me  there,  but  I  am 
sure  the  man  never  committed  a  crime.  Let 
Sister  Scholastica  answer. 

SCHO. —  The  Knight  speaks  the  truth.  Rabbi 
Israel  walks  .in  darkness,  but  he  is  incapable  of 
murder. 

CAPIS. —  So  you  said  before.  But  if  the  man  is  so 
saintly  he  will  see  the  error  of  his  ways  and  find  his 
salvation  here  and  hereafter. 

MEIN. —  How  I  would  like  to  possess  your  holy 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  79 

zeal,  to  feel  that  I  am  an  instrument  chosen  by  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

CAPIS.  (crossing  himself). —  Apage  Satanas!  It 
may  have  been  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  that  you,  Knight  Meinhard,  participated  in 
the  feast  of  Satan. 

MEIN. —  How  relieved  I  feel,  my  father.  But 
while  I  am  willing  to  lend  my  arm  to  the  cross,  my 
tongue  is  weak,  and  my  mind  not  equipped  with 
the  learning  necessary  to  evade  the  tricks  of  Satan's 
arguments. 

CAPIS. —  I  shall  not  put  your  faith  to  such  a  test, 
Knight  Meinhard,  since  Satan  has  such  power 
over  you,  but  thou,  Fraidlin,  wouldst  certainly 
desire  to  see  thy  husband.  It  is  against  the  law 
that  any  one  who  is  under  trial  for  life  receive 
visitors.  I  hope,  however,  that  the  judges  will 
yield  to  my  request  and  allow  thee  to  see  thy 
consort. 

FRAID. —  Thou  art  good,  brother  Johannes. 
May  the  Lord  reward  thee! 

CAPIS. —  And  thou  art  willing  to  tell  thy  husband 
that  by  walking  in  the  path  of  truth  and  by  leading 
his  people  in  this  path,  he  will  find  mercy  in  the 
eyes  of  God  and  man.  Thou  understandest  ? 

FRAID. —  I  do,  brother  Johannes,  but  — 

CAPIS.—  No  "  but,"  when  God  calls. 

FRAID. —  It  will  be  useless.  The  women  of 
Israel  look  to  the  men  for  advice. 

CAPIS. —  Fortitude,  my  daughter,  is  necessary 
in  doing  God's  work.  The  disciples  of  the  Master 
were  flogged  and  stoned  and  crucified,  but  they 
wavered  not.  Your  scribes  and  priests  persecuted 


8o  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

them,  but  the  Church  is  built  upon  an  adamantine 
rock.  Everywhere,  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to 
the  going  down  thereof  is  the  true  God  worshipped, 
and  a  clean  offering.  Look  at  your  people.  Every 
where  they  are  downtrodden,  despised,  and  op 
pressed.  Like  Cain  are  they  hunted  from  place 
to  place. 

FRAID. —  He  knows  it,  father.  But  he  told  me 
it  was  a  test  of  our  faith,  and  that  we  may  truly 
say,  "  All  this  has  come  upon  us,  yet  have  we  not 
forgotten  thee." 

CAPIS. —  And  were  his  heart  hardened  as  thou 
sayest,  canst  thou  not  behold  the  manifestations  of 
Christ  and  proclaim  His  kingdom.  For  thee 
great  things  may  be  in  store.  With  us,  the  women 
are  not  dumb  handmaids,  thou  mayest  yet  have  a 
place  befitting  thy  nobleness  of  spirit  and  grace  of 
manner.  Many  a  noble  would  be  happy  to  pro 
claim  thee  his  consort,  and  give  thee  a  place  among 
princes. 

FRAID. —  Is  this  your  advice,  brother  Johannes  ? 
That  I  shall  forsake  my  husband  and  betray  the 
fidelity  which  is  sacred  among  Jews  as  well  as 
heathen  ? 

CAPIS. —  To  infidels  we  owe  no  obligation. 

FRAID. —  Well,  then,  let  me  answer  briefly  and 
distinctly.  I  will  not  do  it,  and  I  would  not  if  I 
could.  Rather  than  save  my  husband's  life  through 
falsehood  I  would  see  him  perish  under  all  the 
tortures  that  Sister  Scholastica  so  vividly  por 
trayed.  Rather  than  save  myself  by  betraying 
him,  I  shall  die  with  him  and  consider  myself  happy 
to  share  his  fate. 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  81 

SCHO. —  My  sister,  thou  knowest  not  what  thou 
speakest.  Consider  thy  words. 

MEIN. —  Give  her  time,  my  father.  The  Church 
is  long-suffering  and  merciful. 

FRAID. —  I  demand  no  time  from  those  who  teach 
adultery  and  plan  murder. 

CAPIS. —  Well,  then,  thou  shalt  have  what  thou 
desirest.  (Opens  the  door  and  calls  a  guard.}  Take 
this  woman  into  custody,  and  know  thou,  the  door 
of  thy  prison  shall  not  be  opened  until  thou  ex- 
pressest  the  desire  to  profess  Christ:  for  thou  art  as 
guilty  as  thy  husband. 

FRAID. —  Innocent  as  he  is! 

SCHO. —  Have  mercy,  man  of  God! 

CAPIS. —  No  mercy  for  the  sinners. 

FRAIDLIN  taken  away  by  the  guard. 


ACT  V 

SCENE  I 

Court  of  the  Inquisition.  CAPISTRANO  presiding 
over  the  tribunal.  Prelates,  knights,  clerks,  armed 
guards.  ISRAEL. 

CAPIS. —  Israel,  you  may  still  receive  the  grace 
of  a  merciful  God  if  you  confess  your  guilt  which 
is  clearly  proven.  Turn  to  Him,  whom  you 
pierced,  as  did  your  fathers. 

ISRAEL. —  I  cannot  confess  what  I  have  not  done. 

CAPIS.  (to  executioner). —  Question  him  accord 
ing  to  the  ordinances. 

(ISRAEL  taken  to  the  torture  chamber.  Groans 
are  heard.} 

SCENE  II 
PETHAHIAH  is  brought  in. 

CAPIS. —  You  son  of  hell,  have  you  aided  the 
enemies  of  our  gracious  lord,  the  King,  and  of  our 
holy  mother  Church  ? 

PETH. —  Oh,  you  holy  and  wise  man,  whose 
wisdom  is  like  the  wisdom  of  Solomon,  you  cer 
tainly  must  see  that  this  charge  is  a  machination 
of  my  enemies.  All  the  members  of  the  council  of 
our  city,  may  the  Lord  increase  their  glory,  will 
testify  that  when  I  heard  of  thy  coming  I  offered 
a  hundred  shock  groschen  to  celebrate  this  glorious 
event,  because,  while  not  of  thy  faith  — 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  83 

CAPIS. —  Thou  hadst  sense  enough  to  know  that 
thy  sins  shall  be  visited  on  thee. 

PETH. —  Our  God  gives  wisdom  to  those  who  are 
not  of  our  faith,  and  power  to  those  who  are  placed 
on  the  thrones.  Ask  the  governor  how  I,  in  these 
bad  times,  gave  three  thousand  pounds  at  only 
three  deniers  a  week  to  aid  our  glorious  King  in  the 
war  against  his  accursed  enemies,  and  now,  al 
though  I  have  lost  heavily,  I  — 

CAPIS. —  A  little  later.  Don't  be  too  hasty. 
And  then  answer  directly.  Didst  thou  give  money 
to  that  rebel  against  God  and  His  anointed  ?  Didst 
thou  give  money  to  Prokop  ? 

PETH. —  Prokop  ?  I  do  not  know  him.  I  never 
laid  an  eye  on  him.  I  would  not  allow  him  to  pass 
the  threshold  of  my  house.  An  enemy  of  the 
King  is  my  enemy,  and  sooner  would  I  — 

CAPIS. —  Be  not  so  profuse  and  answer  directly. 
(Takes  a  small  piece  of  parchment  from  the  table.) 
Dost  thou  know  this  bond  of  Prokop  ? 

PETH. —  No,  holy  man,  I  never  saw  it.  HO.V 
could  I  ? 

CAPIS. —  Quiet!  How  could  this  have  been 
found  in  a  hole  in  the  wall  of  thy  house,  covered 
carefully  by  boards,  behind  a  wardrobe  ? 

PETH. —  Oh,  holy  man,  this  was  exacted  from  me 
by  violence.  Six  armed  men  entered  my  house 
at  night  and  placing  the  points  of  their  daggers 
over  my  heart,  demanded  that  I  give  them  fifty 
schock.  It  was  life  or  death,  and  so  I  had  to  give 
it  to  them,  and  the  bond  I  hid  in  a  place  where  I 
would  never  lay  an  eye  on  it  again.  I  would  have 
reported  it  to  the  king's  sheriff,  but  I  feared  their 
revenge. 


84  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

CAPIS. —  These  wicked  people,  these  highway 
men! 

PETH. —  So  they  are  indeed,  my  father.  How 
truly  thou  hast  spoken. 

CAPIS. —  There  is  only  one  thing  I  would  like 
to  have  explained. 

PETH. —  Ask,  holy  man,  father  of  mercy,  man  of 
justice,  ask!  Thy  servant  shall  answer  thee 
according  to  the  full  truth. 

CAPIS. —  What  about  the  interest  of  four  pennies 
for  the  shock  ?  Did  they  also  force  thee,  at  the 
dagger's  point,  to  accept  it  ? 

PETH.  (stutters). —  Four  pennies,  Prokop, —  they 
—  given  to  me.  I  never,  never  demand  such  a  sum. 
They  mocked  me  by  writing  it.  Thou  seest  it,  for 
thy  wisdom  is  given  to  thee  by  — 

CAPIS. —  Thou  never  hast  demanded  such  a 
sum  ? 

PETH. —  God  forbid!  The  letters-patent  of  the 
king  allow  three  deniers  and  this  is  my  limit.  I 
obey  the  King,  for  the  King  is  put  in  authority  by 
God  himself,  and  I  fear  — 

SCENE  III 
MEINHARD  enters. 

CAPIS. —  This  is  good;  but  (taking  up  another 
parchment)  this  bond  of  Knight  Meinhard's  stipu 
lates  five  deniers  on  the  shock.  Was  this  also 
written  in  jest  ? 

PETH.  (embarrassed). —  These  young  people  are 
reckless.  They  never  pay,  and  one  is  happy  if  they 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  85 

pay  the  interest  for  two  years.  Afterwards,  ac 
cording  to  the  law  of  our  gracious  King, —  may  his 
throne  be  exalted!  —  one  must  wait  one  year  and 
one  day  before  the  pledge  can  be  sold,  and  often 
it  happens  that  the  pledge  is  found  to  be  stolen. 

MEIN. —  You  accursed  son  of  the  devil. 

PETH. —  O  forgive,  noble  knight,  I  am  not 
speaking  of  you,  for  your  honor  is  as  free  from  any 
spot  as  the  white  robe  of  the  high  priest.  But  you 
see  there  are  some,  even  among  the  knighthood, 
who  take  advantage  of  the  kindheartedness  of  an  old 
man  and  bring  him  a  pledge  which  is  not  their  own, 
and  then,  having  lost  the  interest  for  a  year  one  has 
to  return  it  for  the  sum  lent  on  it. 

CAPIS. — This  does  not  seem  so  bad  when  your 
capital  has  become  doubled  in  the  mean  time. 

PETH. —  But  consider  our  taxes,  holy  man!  To 
the  King,  to  the  city,  and  to  the  canon  of  the  cathe 
dral! 

CAPIS. —  I  do  not  wish  to  meddle  with  the  busi 
ness  of  the  authorities,  and  thou  obeyest  their  laws  ? 

PETH. —  With  joy  in  heart! 

CAPIS. —  I  wish  to  know  whether  this  interest 
stipulated  in  the  bond  of  Prokop  was  stipulated 
in  jest. 

PETH.  (gaining  confidence). —  Most  assuredly, 
holy  man.  How  could  it  be  otherwise  ? 

CAPIS.  (taking  another  parchment). —  How  about 
this  letter  of  George  Podiebrad,  the  arch-rebel, 
who  is  plotting  to  overthrow  the  throne  of  our  gra 
cious  lord,  King  Ladislaus  ? 

PETH. —  I  never  received  such  a  letter.  I  can 
swear  to  it  by  our  holy  Torah.  It  is  the  law  of  our 
kings  from  times  immemorial  to  respect  our  oath. 


86  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

CAPIS. —  There  is  no  need  for  such  an  oath.  I 
know  that  the  letter  was  not  received  by  thee  be 
cause  the  messenger  was  intercepted  by  our  soldiers. 

PETH. —  I  assure  thee,  holy  man,  I  should  have 
torn  the  letter  to  shreds,  and  handed  the  messenger 
over  to  the  king's  sheriff. 

CAPIS. —  Good  and  noble!  But  listen  what  the 
letter  says.  George  Podiebrad  recommends  to  thee 
Ziska,  the  rebel  captain.  He  will  be  surety  for  any 
sum  that  you  may  lend  to  him,  and  in  addition, 
when  he  shall  be  king  —  listen,  Pethahiah  —  you 
shall  have  exclusive  banking  privileges  in  this  city 
and  freedom  of  business  in  all  royal  cities. 

PETH. —  I  ?  To  break  my  fealty  to  my  lord  the 
King  ?  Never!  Not  for  all  the  treasures  of  King 
Solomon! 

CAPIS. —  Good  and  noble  Pethahiah!  But  I 
did  not  read  one  line  at  the  end.  Podiebrad  says 
he  is  sure  that  thou  wilt  serve  him  this  time  as 
faithfully  as  before  and  that  thou  wilt  help  Ziska 
as  thou  didst  help  Prokop. 

PETH.  (stammering). —  It  is  not  true.  It  is  a 
lie.  It  is  a  plot  to  ruin  me.  I  never  saw  Podie 
brad.  I  never  even  heard  of  Ziska.  A  plot  and 
invention  of  my  enemies. 

CAPIS. —  How  the  righteous  are  persecuted! 
The  bond  of  Prokop  —  jest.  The  letter  of  Podie 
brad  —  a  plot.  And  the  murder  of  that  poor  boy  — 
another  plot  of  your  enemies.  Your  agreement 
with  the  Rabbi  that  you  would  kill  the  child  and  he 
would  take  charge  of  the  blood,  jest  again.  The 
Rabbi  confessed!  Dost  thou  hear?  That  confes 
sion  —  all  jest!  Jest,  of  course,  jest! 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  87 

PETH. —  Confessed!    He! 

CAPIS. —  Wilt  thou  come  out  with  thy  confes 
sion  before  they  put  the  question  to  thee  more 
distinctly  ?  As  distinctly  as  they  put  it  to  him  ? 

PETH. —  He  confessed!  The  Rabbi!  Confessed! 
Indeed! 

CAPIS. —  Thou  wishest  to  confess  too  ? 

PETH. —  I  have  nothing  to  confess,  holy  man. 
He  did  it  all  by  himself.  I  learned  it  only  after 
wards,  and  had  it  not  been  for  our  holydays,  I 
should  have  told  the  authorities.  I  should  surely 
have  reported  it  the  day  afterwards,  had  the  ter 
rible  deed  not  been  discovered.  Oh,  how  miser 
able  I  was  all  the  day!  How  my  heart  was 
broken. 

CAPIS.  (to  the  guard). —  Bring  the  Rabbi. 

SCENE  IV 
ISRAEL  carried  in,  bleeding  and  exhausted. 

CAPIS. —  Listen,  thou  servant  of  the  evil  one. 
Thy  partner  has  confessed,  but  he  puts  the  blame 
on  thee  alone. 

ISRAEL. —  He  is  as  innocent  as  I  am. 

CAPIS.—  Oh,  I  know  your  tricks  taught  by  your 
accursed  Talmud.  In  vain  have  the  holy  fathers 
tried  to  free  you  from  the  snares  of  Satan. 

ISRAEL. —  I  am  not  wont  to  speak  in  equivoca 
tions.  Pethahiah  has  no  share  in  the  crime. 

CAPIS. —  So  thou  didst  it  all  by  thyself  ? 

PETH.— Did  I  not  say  so,  holy  man?  My 
enemy  has  cleared  me.  Thy  wisdom  has  pene 
trated  into  his  heart,  and  as  I  love  and  admire  thee, 


88  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

I  shall  give  thee  the  mortgage  on  Knight  Meinhard's 
property  that  thou  mayest  build  on  it  a  church 
in  honor  of  St.  Francis,  who  must  have  been  a  great 
and  good  man  to  have  such  wise  and  kind  disciples. 

CAPIS. —  Is  this  perhaps  jest  also  ? 

PETH. —  How  would  I  dare  to  jest  with  such  a 
great  man  ? 

CAPIS. —  This  is  really  a  generous  offer.  We 
shall  see.  Our  saint  shall  have  a  sanctuary  in  this 
city.  I  thought  of  it  myself,  and  your  synagogue 
seems  to  me  to  be  as  good  a  place  as  any. 

PETH.  (frightened}. —  Our  synagogue  ? 

CAPIS. —  Be  so  good  as  not  to  interrupt  me.  I 
have  to  deal  with  this  sinner.  Israel,  didst  thou 
kill  that  child,  pricking  him  with  needles,  nailing 
him  to  the  cross,  pressing  a  crown  of  thorns  on  his 
forehead,  and  finally  piercing  his  side  ?  Make  a 
full  confession  and  God  will  be  merciful. 

ISRAEL. —  As  I  hope  in  God's  mercy,  I  did  not 
do  it,  nor  did  Pethahiah,  nor  did  any  of  our  people 
ever  commit  such  a  crime. 

CAPIS. —  Pethahiah,  thou  hast  said  that  the  Rabbi 
had  done  what  he  now  denies.  Dost  still  insist 
that  thou  hast  told  the  truth  ? 

PETH.   (embarrassed}. —  I  —  I    said    he    said  — 

CAPIS. —  Clearly  please,  yes  or  no,  unless  we 
shall  question  thee  more  distinctly. 

PETH. —  Yes,  holy  man,  I  said  it. 

CAPIS. —  This  means  that  this  fiendish  deed  is 
part  of  your  accursed  superstition  and  is  done 
every  year.  Hast  thou  ever  done  it  before  ? 

PETH. —  I  ?  Never!  God  forbid  that  I  shed 
innocent  blood,  the  blood  of  Christians  who  are 
my  — 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  89 

CAPIS. —  Not  so  much  eloquence,  please.  If 
thou  hast  never  done  it  before,  wast  thou  not  sur 
prised  when  the  Rabbi  told  thee  what  he  had  done. 

PETH. —  Why  dost  thou  ask  me  ? 

CAPIS. —  Answer  directly. 

PETH. —  I  —  I  do  not  know. 

CAPIS. —  How  thy  memory  fails  thee.  We  will 
help  thee  to  remember.  (To  the  guards.)  Torture 
him!  ' 

PETH. —  Listen,  holy  man,  be  not  so  hasty,  for 
thou  art  wise  and  the  wise  man  does  not  judge 
hastily.  I  shall  confess  everything.  I  was  present, 
but  I  did  not  do  anything.  Jekel,  the  Rabbi's 
servant,  gagged  the  boy,  the  Rabbi  said  the  prayer, 
and  the  scholars  pricked  the  child  with  needles. 

CAPIS. —  The  scholars  ?    What  are  their  names  ? 

PETH. —  Names!  I  do  not  know,  I  forgot. 
They  were  strangers. 

CAPIS. —  Thy  memory  is  beginning  to  fail  again. 
We  — 

PETH. —  Oh,  I  remember  now.  They  were 
Hayim  of  Neustadt,  and  Aaron  of  —  of — I  be 
lieve  from  Franconia,  Wuerzburg,  if  I  remember 
right. 

CAPIS. —  Take  thy  time.  I  see  thou  beginnest 
to  remember. 

SCENE  V 
JEKUTHIEL  enters  during  the  last  words, 

JEKUTH. —  Thou  liest,  old  sinner.  Believe  him 
not,  brother  Johannes.  He  lies  for  the  sake  of  his 
ill-gotten  Mammon. 


9o  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

PETH.  (collapsing). —  My  sins  have  visited  me 
My  own  flesh  and  blood  rises  up  against  me. 

CAPIS. —  What  sayest  thou  ? 

PETH. —  I  did  not  see  anything.  I  am  old  and 
sick,  and  I  feared  the  rack. 

CAPIS. —  Jest  again!  Let  us  see!  He  will 
get  his  memory  back. 

CAPIS  (to  the  guard).  —  Give  him  the  first  test. 
Bring  me  Pasquale.  (A  strong,  burly  executioner 
enters.}  Here  is  work  for  thee,  my  son.  We  have 
a  hardened  sinner.  Tie  him  to  the  ladder  and 
throw  thyself  with  thy  full  weight  against  the  rope. 
Never  mind  if  his  old  bones  crack.  He  has 
money  enough  to  pay.  Bring  the  boy. 

(PASQUALE  grins.  PETHAHIAH  howls  as  he  is 
dragged  out.) 

SCENE  VI 
Enter  JEKEL. 

CAPIS. —  Thou  dost  know  of  what  thou  art 
accused.  Didst  thou  do  it  ? 

JEKEL. —  I  tried  to  but  they  would  not  let  me. 

CAPIS. —  What  didst  thou  try  ? 

JEKEL. —  To  angle  trout  in  the  White  Brook. 

CAPIS. —  Do  not  trifle  here,  thou  son  of  the  devil. 
Didst  thou  gag  the  boy  ? 

JEKEL. —  I  had  no  chance.  They  grabbed  me 
from  behind  and  had  me  on  the  ground  before 
I  knew  that  any  one  was  present. 

CAPIS. —  And  then  ? 

JEKEL. —  Four  others  came. 

CAPIS. —  Who  are  they. 

JEKEL. —  I  did  not  know  all  of  them,  only  An 
thony,  the  miller's,  and  Ulric,  the  swordmaker's  son. 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  91 

CAPIS.— What!     Christians! 
JEKEL. —  What    else    do    you    think?    A    Jew 
would  not  do  such  things. 

o 

CAPIS. —  Do  not  play  the  innocent.  What  didst 
thou  get  for  thy  work  ? 

JEKEL. —  Get?  Work?  What  I  got  ?  Beaten 
I  got,  and  my  waistcoat  was  torn.  A  new  one  at 
that,  or  rather  it  was  an  old  one,  but  I  had  received 
it  that  very  day  from  Eva,  Phineas  the  hideseller's 
wife. 

MEIN. —  Brother  Johannes,  you  are  wasting  your 
skill.  Cannot  you  see  that  the  poor  fellow  is  an 
imbecile  ? 

CAPIS. —  Knight  Meinhard,  you  are  singularly 
eager  to  defend  the  Jews. 

MEIN. —  I  cannot  bear  injustice,  and  though  its 
victim  is  a  Jew.  This  old  sinner,  Pethahiah,  richly 
deserved  his  fate,  though  what  he  told  here  is  not 
true.  That  child  was  dead  when  it  was  brought  to 
the  Rabbi's  house,  and  all  the  wounds  were  inflicted 
on  a  corpse.  Master  Eberlein,  the  surgeon,  will 
prove  it  to  you. 

CAPIS. —  These  Jews  with  their  Mammon  can 
prove  anything.  Their  ancestors  bribed  the  guards 
to  testify  that  the  Master's  body  Was  stolen,  and 
that  he  never  rose  from  the  tomb. 

SCENE  VII 

SCHOLASTICA  enters. 

SCHO.  (pointing  to  ISRAEL,  who  is  lying  on  the 
ground).—  Holy  man  of  God!  As  my  Redeemer 
liveth,  I  know  that  this  man  is  innocent.  Why 


92  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

should  the  glory  of  Christ  be  bought  with  the  blood 
of  the  innocent  ?  The  Lord  has  chosen  thee  to  do 
marvelous  things  in  His  name.  Forfeit  not  thy 
eternal  bliss  by  judging  rashly. 

SCENE  VIII 

PETHAHIAH  is  carried  in.  He  has  fainted  and 
lies  with  closed  eyes,  unable  to  speak. 

CAPIS. —  Has  he  confessed  ? 

EXECUTIONER. —  He  has  repeated  all  his  former 
statements,  and  added  that  he  gave  money  to  buy 
the  boy  from  wayfaring  people  who  had  stolen  him 
from  a  farmer  in  Bohemia. 

CAPIS. — This  trial  was  conducted  with  all  that 
justice  and  lenience  which  has  always  graced  the 
Church  of  God.  We  shall  not  pronounce  the 
sentence  of  guilt  until  the  culprits  shall  have  been 
given  every  chance  of  exculpating  themselves. 
(To  ISRAEL.)  Dost  thou  still  persist  in  denying 
thy  crime  ?  Remember  that  God  is  merciful  to  the 
sinner  who  repenteth. 

ISRAEL. —  Brother  Johannes,  my  body  is  broken. 
I  have  not  many  hours  to  live,  even  if  you  let  me 
run  my  course,  and  in  the  presence  of  God,  who  is 
my  maker  and  yours,  and  before  whom  I  shall  soon 
appear,  I  declare  that  I  am  innocent  of  the  death  of 
this  child,  and  so  are  all  the  others  whom  you  con 
demn,  even  this  poor  sinner,  Pethahiah,  who  in  his 
desire  to  save  his  wretched  life  turned  witness 
against  himself. 

(PETHAHIAH  tries  to  raise  himself  and  grasp  the 
Rabbi's  hand.) 


ISRAEL  BRUNA 


93 


CAPIS. —  Their  hardness  of  heart  has  never  left 
these  people,  whom  God  has  rejected  because  of 
their  ingratitude.  They  shall  go  to  the  place  where 
there  is  howling  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  But  they 
shall  not  be  condemned  before  all  means  of  mercy 
shall  have  been  exhausted.  Does  any  one  present 
know  of  anything  in  favor  of  these  accused,  which 
has  been  overlooked  in  their  just  and  impartial  trial  ? 

JEKUTH. —  Holy  man  of  God,  this  woman  (point 
ing  to  FRAIDLIN)  was  maliciously  accused  by  a 
self-confessed  traitor  and  slanderer.  I  swear  it  by 
my  honor  as  a  Knight  of  the  Cross.  My  duty  as  a 
champion  of  woman's  honof  forbids  me  to  say 
more,  but  as  this  sword  has  been  blessed  by  thee 
for  the  defense  of  our  holy  faith,  she  is  innocent. 

CAPIS. —  We  shall  take  your  word,  Knight  Con 
rad,  if  she  profess  Jesus,  the  Saviour,  in  whose  honor 
you  have  vowed  to  wield  the  sword.  Jesus  shall 
make  thee  free,  my  daughter,  free,  body  and  soul. 
My  daughter,  come  and  give  glory  to  His  name. 

FRAID. —  I  thank  thee,  brother  Johannes,  and  I 
forgive  Knight  Konrad,  and  all  those  who  have 
wronged  me  and  brought  this  misery  upon  me  and 
my  people,  but  I  desire  no  better  lot  for  myself  than 
that  of  my  people,  who  die  the  death  of  the  righteous. 

SCHO. —  Brother  Johannes,  I  have  left  my  kin, 
have  abandoned  home,  father,  and  mother,  and  a 
life  of  comfort  and  pleasure  in  order  to  serve  Him 
who  innocently  died  an  ignominious  death.  But 
He  forgave  His  offenders,  while  you  sacrifice  to  Him 
innocent  victims,  as  if  He  were  the  idol  of  the 
heathens.  Think,  before  you  give  the  hangman 
your  orders! 


94  ISRAEL  BRUNA 

CAPIS. —  Sister  Scholastica!  Hast  thou  for 
gotten  the  words  of  the  Master,  "  I  have  no  mother, 
and  I  have  no  brothers  "  ?  Cast  off  this  false 
mercy!  For  those  who  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost 
there  shall  be  no  mercy! 

ISRAEL  (rising  with  difficulty). —  Mercy  we  ex 
pect  from  God  alone,  who  is  a  God  of  justice. 
But  from  those  who  desecrate  His  name  by  the 
testimony  of  falsehood  we  desire  no  mercy.  Their 
mercy  is  a  disgrace,  as  the  Holy  Scripture  says: 
(To  PETHAHIAH,  who  turns  to  him  with  outstretched 
hand}  I  forgive  thee  with  all  my  heart,  and  the  God 
of  Israel,  who  is  long-suffering,  will  forgive  thee, 
when  thou  sayest  with  all  thy  heart,  "  May  my 
death  be  an  atonement  for  all  my  sins." 

(PETHAHIAH  whispers  it,  and  the  other  Jews  repeat 
it  aloud.) 

SCHO. —  Oh,  how  blind  I  was  to  be  misled  by 
empty  words.  Away  with  a  creed  which  is  a  mere 
babble  of  the  lips;  Jesus  prayed  for  His  enemies  on 
the  Cross.  You  have  made  the  innocent  de 
scendants  of  His  enemies  pay  a  thousand  times  and 
more  for  the  sin  which  He  forgave.  Theirs  is  a 
martyrdom  more  glorious  than  His.  Rabbi  Israel, 
I  have  looked  up  to  you  from  my  childhood  as  to  a 
guide  in  life.  I  shall  be  with  you  in  death.  Curse 
(pointing  to  CAPiSTRANo)  upon  murderers !  Fiends ! 
Wild  beasts  who  desecrate  God's  holy  name  by 
acts  of  brutality.  "  May  my  death  be  an  atone 
ment  for  all  my  sins." 

(Loud.) 

Make  room  on  the  faggot,  hangman!  Holy 
father  Johannes  Capistrano!  Vain,  earthly  glory 


ISRAEL  BRUNA  95 

is  thy  piety!  Bloodthirsty  and  cruel  is  thy  pre 
tended  zeal  for  God!  Thy  God  is  the  God  of 
falsehood.  I  shall  profess  the  God  of  Truth. 
Rabbi  Israel,  teach  me  the  prayer  of  martyrs,  and 
let  us  all  join  in  it,  grateful  to  the  God  of  Israel  for 
our  martyr  lot. 

(The  hangman  leads  them  to  the  faggot  that  is 
looming  in  the  background.  The  hymn  is  heard, 
the  voices  grow  weaker  and  finally  cease.) 


L  006  518  323  8 


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